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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 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



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