THE WHATIS.COM WORD-OF-THE-DAY December 27, 2002 strange matter ______________ TODAY'S SPONSOR: NetIQ
FREE WEB ANALYTICS TRIAL Is Web analytics eating up valuable IT resources? Get your FREE TRIAL of the latest in Web analytics and see the new features for managing your Web site. WEBTRENDS REPORTING CENTER from NetIQ gives business users the Web analysis they need to make smarter decisions while reducing the strain on IT. Experience the new features and download a FREE TRIAL TODAY! http://WhatIs.com/r/0,,8691,00.htm?webanalyticstrial ______________ TODAY'S WORD: strange matter See our complete definition with hyperlinks at http://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/0,,sid9_gci871099,00.html Strange matter is matter consisting of atoms whose nuclei contain pairs of particles called strange quarks. Quarks are believed to be elementary particles, in the sense that they cannot be broken down into smaller components. There are several types of quarks, with exotic names such as up quark, down quark, and strange quark. These names were invented to differentiate among quarks with various characteristics. An atom of normal matter has a nucleus consisting of one or more protons, and, with the exception of ordinary hydrogen, one or more neutrons. Protons and neutrons are made up of up quarks and down quarks in certain combinations. Strange matter, however, has nuclei that also contain strange quarks. This makes strange matter different from matter in the everyday sense. One of the notable characteristics of strange matter is its extreme density. A fragment of strange matter the size of a biological cell would have a mass of hundreds of kilograms. Scientists have produced atoms of strange matter in the laboratory, using a machine called a particle accelerator or atom smasher. Some astronomers believe that strange matter exists in interstellar and intergalactic space, particularly in dense objects such as stars that have spent all their atomic fuel and collapsed under the influence of their own gravitation. Such stars are optically invisible because they have stopped shining. If the universe contains many objects made up of strange matter, then there is far more mass in the cosmos than calculations based on visual observations suggest. If the existence of strange matter in large quantities can be proven, the fact could have a profound effect on theories concerning whether or not the universe is dense enough to eventually collapse under its own gravitation. RELATED TERMS: matter http://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/0,,sid9_gci865252,00.html atom http://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/0,,sid9_gci211610,00.html quark http://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/0,,sid9_gci858975,00.html mass http://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/0,,sid9_gci549408,00.html ______________________ CROSSWORD PUZZLE #7 | Computer Basics Improve your flexible thinking skills. Print out the puzzle and keep it nearby to work on throughout your day! http://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/0,,sid9_gci865741,00.html ______________________ QUIZ #32 | Securing Your Network How much do you know about network security? Take our latest quiz and find out. >> Take the quiz http://searchsecurity.techtarget.com/sDefinition/0,,sid14_gci857673,00.html ______________________ REAL-LIFE CHALLENGE #20 | Outsource IT to save money? Is outsourcing the IT department under a contractual basis or a per-incident agreement ever a good way to cut costs? Nan, the Director of IT for a manufacturing company must decide. Can you advise? http://whatis.discussions.techtarget.com/WebX?[EMAIL PROTECTED]@.1dcfae0e/194 ______________________________ RECENT ADDITIONS AND UPDATES [1] bus network http://searchnetworking.techtarget.com/sDefinition/0,,sid7_gci870772,00.html [2] ring network http://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/0,,sid9_gci870770,00.html [3] mesh network http://searchnetworking.techtarget.com/sDefinition/0,,sid7_gci870763,00.html [4] star network http://searchnetworking.techtarget.com/sDefinition/0,,sid7_gci870743,00.html [5] surd http://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/0,,sid9_gci870727,00.html ____________________________________________________________________ ::::::::::::::::::: WHATIS.COM CONTACTS ::::::::::::::::::: LOWELL THING, Site Editor ([EMAIL PROTECTED]) ____________________________________________________________________ MARGARET ROUSE, Associate Editor ([EMAIL PROTECTED]) ___________________________________________________________________ :::::::::::::::::::: ABOUT THIS NEWSLETTER ::::::::::::::::::::: Published by TechTarget (http://www.techtarget.com) TechTarget - The Most Targeted IT Media Copyright 2002, All Rights Reserved. Unsubscribe from 'Word of the Day' - Simply Reply to this Email with REMOVE within the Body or Subject > or - Go to: http://WhatIs.techtarget.com/register - Log in to edit your profile. - Click on the link to Edit email subscriptions. - Uncheck the box next to the newsletter you wish to unsubscribe from. - When finished, click "Save Changes to My Profile."
