How much of a hydrogen atom's mass is due to the mass of fundamental particles?

In summary: This is because the box has absorbed the photons and converted them into mass, even though the photons themselves have not changed.
  • #1
Runner 1
100
0
If one were to subtract the kinetic energies of all fundamental particles within hydrogen, as well as all of the potential energy of all bound states between these particles, how much mass (as a percentage of the total) would remain? Ignore the kinetic energy due to the hydrogen's speed.And while I'm at it, isn't it weird that fundamental particles can be converted into the motion of another particle? For instance, an electron can be annihilated with a positron, producing photons which can in turn be absorbed by the electrons in another atom, promoting them to a higher state. In effect, one electron has been turned into the motion of a different electron!
 
Physics news on Phys.org
  • #2
A 1H atom (938.738 MeV/c²) is composed of 1 electron (0.510999 MeV/c²) 2 up quarks (2.2 MeV/c²) and 1 down quark (5.0 MeV/c²). So the mass of all of the fundamental particles is 9.9 MeV/c² (1% of total) and the remaining 928.9 MeV/c² (99% of total) is contained in the fields etc (predominantly the strong force).
 
  • #3
Doesn't it kind of depend on where you draw the line between field and particle? For example if you considered gluons to be component particles then the total would be higher then 1%.
 
  • #4
Yes, I was drawing the line between fermions and bosons. Since the OP specifically mentioned the PE of the bound states I figured that was the line he wanted drawn.
 
  • #5
Okay, thanks for the reply! That's very interesting.
 
  • #6
Runner 1 said:
And while I'm at it, isn't it weird that fundamental particles can be converted into the motion of another particle? For instance, an electron can be annihilated with a positron, producing photons which can in turn be absorbed by the electrons in another atom, promoting them to a higher state. In effect, one electron has been turned into the motion of a different electron!

It's simply the conversion of energy between different forms: rest-energy [itex]E_0 = m_0 c^2[/itex] (where [itex]m_0[/itex] is rest-mass) on the one hand and kinetic energy on the other.
 
  • #7
jtbell said:
It's simply the conversion of energy between different forms: rest-energy [itex]E_0 = m_0 c^2[/itex] (where [itex]m_0[/itex] is rest-mass) on the one hand and kinetic energy on the other.

Yeah, I still think it's weird haha.
 
  • #8
Interesting.

So when the sun shines on me, I am experiencing 100% energy, but when I hoist a glass of water, I am not hoisting 100% mass.

Wonder what 100% mass mass (if you catch my drift) would be like?
 
  • #9
Haha not really. Energy is basically a numerical value that can be calculated from a system that is conserved through time despite any transformations of the system.

If you shine light into a box with perfect mirrors and weigh the box, it will weigh more than if you weighed just the box alone.
 

1. What are the fundamental particles of a hydrogen atom?

The fundamental particles of a hydrogen atom are a proton and an electron. The proton has a positive charge and makes up the nucleus of the atom, while the electron has a negative charge and orbits around the nucleus.

2. What is the mass of a hydrogen atom?

The mass of a hydrogen atom is approximately 1.008 atomic mass units (amu). This is equivalent to 1.673 x 10^-27 kilograms.

3. How much of the mass of a hydrogen atom is due to the proton?

The mass of a proton is approximately 1.007 amu, which means that the proton contributes almost the entire mass of a hydrogen atom.

4. What is the mass of an electron?

The mass of an electron is approximately 0.0005 amu, which is much smaller than the mass of a proton. This means that the electron contributes very little to the overall mass of a hydrogen atom.

5. How do scientists determine the mass of fundamental particles in a hydrogen atom?

Scientists use advanced instruments, such as mass spectrometers, to measure the mass of fundamental particles. These instruments work by separating particles based on their mass-to-charge ratio, allowing scientists to accurately determine the mass of each particle in a hydrogen atom.

Similar threads

Replies
3
Views
936
  • High Energy, Nuclear, Particle Physics
Replies
13
Views
2K
Replies
3
Views
4K
  • High Energy, Nuclear, Particle Physics
Replies
8
Views
1K
Replies
4
Views
844
Replies
2
Views
691
Replies
9
Views
2K
Replies
3
Views
1K
Replies
3
Views
1K
Back
Top