Rest mass and binding energy

To completely separate an atom into its component parts requires an energy input called the binding energy.It is implied from this that the mass of the atom is smaller than the mass of the parts from which it is made.Hydrogen one is the atom with the simplest structure and this will be used as an example. The binding energy of hydrogen is the energy needed to completely separate the proton and electron (this energy being more commonly referred to as the ionisation energy)The following equation conforms exactly to the published data.

mass of hydrogen atom=mass of proton+mass of electron-binding(ionisation) energy

(to keep the units consistent binding energy can be expressed in mass units)

The equation,if it is correct,has some interesting implications:

1.The increased potential energy(ionisation energy) goes into the mass content of the particles
2.The rest mass of the particles is frame dependant.The combined rest mass has a maximum value at a separation that can be considered as infinite dropping,for the hydrogen atom,to a minimum value when the particles are in the ground state configeration.

Has the equation been incorrectly interpreted here, or could there be some reality to the implications?A major objection might be that the concept of a non invariant rest mass is at odds with special relativity.Strangely,there is no clash at all with special relativity.To see that this is so one merely needs to revisit the theoretical framework of the theory and look at it in slightly greater detail.One will see that special relativity provides the strongest evidence that rest mass is frame dependant.


See "the catch 22 of physics" R Chisnall