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Invariant mass
In particle physics, the mathematical combination of a particle's energy and its momentum to give a value for the mass of the particle at rest. The invariant mass is the same for all frames of reference (see Special Relativity).
The invariant mass of a system of decay particles is related to the rest mass of the original particle by the following equation:
W2c4=(ΣE)2-(Σpc)2
where:
- W is the invariant mass of the system of particles
- ΣE is the sum of the energies of the particles
- Σp is the vector sum of the momenta of the particles (includes both magnitude and direction of the momenta)
- c is the speed of light
10-26-2009 08:16:03
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The contents of this article is licensed from www.wikipedia.org under the GNU Free Documentation License. Click here to see the transparent copy and copyright details