The mass of the hydrogen atom is smaller than the sum of the masses of the proton and the electron, the difference being the binding energy The mass of the is 139 6 MeV c 2 however, the masses of the quarks of which it is composed are only a few MeV c 2 How can that be explained ...

The proton and electron are free partic ...

The mass of the hydrogen atom is smaller than the sum of the masses of the proton

Question:

The mass of the hydrogen atom is smaller than the sum of the masses of the proton and the electron, the difference being the binding energy. The mass of the π⁺ is 139.6 MeV/c²; however, the masses of the quarks of which it is composed are only a few MeV/c². How can that be explained?

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