A model of the internal structure of a proton and the attendant fields. Image credit: Brookhaven National Laboratory.

Where does the mass of a proton come from?

If you think you can just add up its components, you’re 99% short!

“Resistance to the organized mass can be effected only by the man who is as well organized in his individuality as the mass itself.” -Carl Jung

If you were to divide the particles that made up your body into smaller and smaller bits, you’d find that at every step along the way — at least in terms of mass — the whole was equal to the sum of its parts. If you broke your body down into its individual bones, fat and organs, they would add up to an entire human being. If you broke them down further, into cells, again, the cells would still add up to the same mass as you. Cells can be divided into organelles, organelles broken up into individual molecules, molecules into atoms, and atoms into protons, neutrons and electrons. At that level, there’s a tiny but noticeable difference: the individual protons, neutrons and electrons are off by right around 1% from a human, thanks to nuclear binding energy.

The nucleus of a carbon atom has a mass that’s approximately 0.8% lower than the individual protons and neutrons that compose it, thanks to nuclear binding energy. Image credit: Delia Walsh of http://slideplayer.com/slide/6002405/.

A carbon atom, made up of six protons and six neutrons, is approximately 0.8% lighter than the individual component particles that make it up. The way…