Question

Protons are more massive than electrons. The three quarks in the proton account for only a small amount of this mass difference. What accounts for the remaining excess mass in protons compared to electrons?

a) Gluons.

b) Leptons.

c) Photons.

d) Neutrinos.

Answer 1

The excess mass of protons compared to electrons is mainly due to the energy of the gluons that bind quarks together inside the proton.

Step-by-step explanation:

Protons are much more massive than electrons, and this mass discrepancy is not fully accounted for by the mass of the protons' constituent quarks alone. The remaining excess mass of protons compared to electrons is largely due to the energy associated with the gluons, which are the carriers of the strong nuclear force within the proton.

Gluons hold the quarks together inside protons and neutrons and contribute to the majority of the proton's mass through their interaction energy.

The remaining excess mass in protons compared to electrons is not accounted for by the quarks alone. Protons are made up of three quarks and the mass difference is only a small fraction of the total mass. The remaining excess mass comes from the highly energetic gluons connecting the quarks.