The up (u) and down (d) quarks themselves have a mass of several MeV. Now we will use two u quark and one d quark to form a proton.
a. Recall the liquid drop model which estimates the binding energy when nucleons combine to form a nucleus. Follow the same logic, estimate the binding energy for quarks forming the proton and the consequent mass of the proton (qualitatively instead of quantitatively).
b. Now know the proton mass is around 1 GeV, which is much larger than the sum of the quark mass. Do some investigation and explain how this mass is gained.
Can you please provide general steps as to how I can get started for a and b? This is a homework help site, so I need help.
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