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What contributes most to the mass of the proton

User Ieasha
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Final answer:

The mass of a proton is mainly due to the energy of the gluons that bind the quarks together. Quarks contribute only a small fraction to the proton's mass, while the electron has much less mass than a proton.

Step-by-step explanation:

The mass of a proton is significantly greater than that of an electron. While protons and neutrons each have a mass of approximately 1.67 × 10-24 grams, equivalent to one atomic mass unit (amu) or one Dalton (Da), electrons have a much smaller mass of about 9.11 × 10-28 grams, or roughly 1/1800 of an amu. Protons are composed of three quarks, which together contribute only to a small fraction of the proton's total mass. The majority of a proton's mass comes from the energy of the highly energetic gluons that mediate the strong force, binding the quarks together inside the proton.

User Richard Banks
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