Does a Hydrogen Atom Weigh Less than the Sum of Its Parts?

AI Thread Summary
The mass of a hydrogen atom in its ground state is smaller than the sum of the masses of a proton and an electron due to the binding energy, which accounts for the mass defect. The mass difference arises from the energy released when the atom forms, which according to Einstein's equation, converts some mass into energy. This difference is significant enough to be relevant when calculating atomic mass, affecting values listed to six decimal places. The confusion about the hydrogen atom's mass being 2u likely stems from considering the mass of the proton and electron separately without accounting for binding energy. Understanding mass defect and binding energy is crucial for accurate atomic mass calculations.
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Homework Statement


(a) Is the mass of a hydrogen atom in its ground state larger or smaller than the sum of the masses of a proton and an electron?
b) What is the mass difference?
c) How large is the difference as a percentage of the total mass?
d) Is it large enough to affect the value of the atomic mass listed to six decimal places?


Homework Equations





The Attempt at a Solution


My intuitive answer to a) is that the ground state total is smaller than the sum of the masses of the proton adn electron... I believe a hydrogen atom is made up of a proton & an electron, but I make its atomic mass 1u and then compare it to the mass of a proton + an electron... however, I'm not sure if this is right, mostly because it seems too simple. Plus, when I search for the mass of a hydrogen atom online, it comes up with something about equal to 2u...
 
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yeah try and research something called mass defect and binding energy
 

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