A decade before Einstein published his theory of relativity, J.J. Thomson propos

Question

A decade before Einstein published his theory of relativity, J.J. Thomson proposed that the electron might consist of small parts and attributed the electron's mass "M" to the electric potential energy of the interaction of the parts. Furthermore, he suggested that the energy equals mc^2, where "C" is the speed of light. Make a rough estimate of the electron mass in the following way: Assume the electron is composed of three identical parts that are brought in from infinity and placed at the vertices of an equilateral triangle having sides equal to the classical radius of electron 2.82x10^-15m. (a)- Find the total electric potential energy of this arrangement. (b)-Divide by C^2 and compare your result with the accepted electron mass. ( The result improves if more parts are assumed.)

Explanation / Answer

so the electrical potential energy =

Kq^2/r

here it is 3*Kq^2/r

where q is qe/3

so value will be Kqe^2/3r=2.71*10^14J

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