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Revision as of 11:19, 17 January 2006 edit88.104.137.90 (talk) invariant link should probably point to invariant_(physics)← Previous edit Revision as of 00:52, 30 January 2006 edit undoKrovisser (talk | contribs)386 editsm mathNext edit →
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The invariant mass of a system of decay particles is related to the rest mass of the original particle by the following equation: The invariant mass of a system of decay particles is related to the rest mass of the original particle by the following equation:


W<sup>2</sup>c<sup>4</sup>=(&Sigma;E)<sup>2</sup>-(&Sigma;pc)<sup>2</sup> :<math>\mbox{W}^2\mbox{c}^4=(\Sigma \mbox{E})^2-(\Sigma \mbox{pc})^2</math>


Where:
where:


: W is the invariant mass of the system of particles : <math>W</math> is the invariant mass of the system of particles
: &Sigma;E is the sum of the energies of the particles : <math>\Sigma E</math> is the sum of the energies of the particles
: &Sigma;p is the vector sum of the ] of the particles (includes both magnitude and direction of the momenta) : <math>\Sigma pc</math> is the vector sum of the ] of the particles (includes both magnitude and direction of the momenta) times the speed of light, <math>c</math>
: c is the speed of light


== See also == == See also ==

Revision as of 00:52, 30 January 2006

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:

W 2 c 4 = ( Σ E ) 2 − ( Σ pc ) 2 {\displaystyle {\mbox{W}}^{2}{\mbox{c}}^{4}=(\Sigma {\mbox{E}})^{2}-(\Sigma {\mbox{pc}})^{2}}

Where:

W {\displaystyle W} is the invariant mass of the system of particles
Σ E {\displaystyle \Sigma E} is the sum of the energies of the particles
Σ p c {\displaystyle \Sigma pc} is the vector sum of the momenta of the particles (includes both magnitude and direction of the momenta) times the speed of light, c {\displaystyle c}

See also

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