How can mass be converted into energy?

Mass is converted into BINDING energy - that is the mass defect.

 

Do you remember this fundemantal physic-law?

"Energy can neither be created nor be destroyed" There exists different kinds of energy, kinetic energy, potential energy, electrostatic energy, chemical energy, heat, Mass etc. You may transform the energy into any of these kinds as you wish, as long as the total amount of energy is conserved -> Principle of energy conservation.

Remember the introductory example in mechanics where you add energy to roll a ball up the hill (gives it potential energy). And then when you release the ball, it roll down the hill (gains kinetic energy). Now how did you get the energy to roll the ball up the hill? Probably by eating some food (chemical energy), which your body transformed into mechanical energy. And the food gained its energy from the sun (heat).

The same way it works in this situation, you have different kinds of energy, beening transformed into one another. It's nothing mystical.

 

Yes, you may regard mass as one form of energy

 

We cant speak about "if we move the proton and neutron further away", since we are the quantum mechanical world.

 

I think what you really are asking if energy can be converted into mass, and yes - that is possible. That's how particle creation at accelerators are done.

 

hehe

well if you separate them as much as jtbell said, then they will have more mass.

 

does the fact that energy can become mass mean it already has mass? i am very puzzled how you could in principle, add a zero weight to one side of scales yet make it heavier, yet if energy is massless that is what is occurring if energy has zero mass but can become mass.