Reduced Mass Calculator (μ = m₁·m₂ / (m₁ + m₂))
The reduced mass μ collapses a two-body equation of motion into a one-body equation: when two particles interact through an internal force, the *relative* motion is equivalent to a single particle of mass μ acted on by the same force. It is the building block for classical orbital mechanics, the Kepler problem, vibrational spectroscopy and many quantum-mechanical two-body problems.
Common two-body systems (tap to load)
Enter two positive masses (any unit — as long as both inputs use the same one).
Reduced-mass result
Reduced mass μ = m₁·m₂ / (m₁+m₂)
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Total mass M = m₁ + m₂
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μ ÷ min(m₁, m₂)
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μ ÷ M (≤ 0.25)
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μ is always ≤ the smaller mass. When m₂ ≫ m₁ then μ → m₁ (planet-around-star limit); equal masses give μ = m/2 and the ratio peaks at 0.25.
Formula
μ = m₁·m₂ / (m₁ + m₂); equivalently 1/μ = 1/m₁ + 1/m₂
- · Units are arbitrary so long as m₁ and m₂ are in the same unit — kg, grams, solar masses M☉, electron masses mₑ, atomic mass units u all work. μ comes out in the same unit.
- · μ ≤ min(m₁, m₂) always; equality only in the m₂ → ∞ limit. The maximum μ for a fixed total mass M = m₁+m₂ is reached when m₁ = m₂ (μ = m/2).
- · Kepler problem: a planet orbiting the Sun is equivalent to a particle of mass μ moving under the Sun–planet gravitational force GMm/r². For Earth+Sun μ ≈ Earth mass to about 3 parts in 10⁷.
- · Diatomic vibrations: the harmonic frequency is ω = √(k/μ). Swapping isotopes (changes μ but not k) produces measurable IR shifts — the basis of isotope discrimination in vibrational spectroscopy.
- · Hydrogen Rydberg correction: replacing the electron mass mₑ by μ = mₑ·m_p / (mₑ+m_p) ≈ 0.999456 mₑ shifts every level by ~0.05 % — and explains the line-position differences between ordinary hydrogen H and deuterium D.
- · Collisional kinematics: the kinetic energy of relative motion is K_rel = ½·μ·v_rel², and centre-of-mass-frame cross sections / Mandelstam variables all involve μ.
Frequently asked
Why does the two-body problem give us μ instead of just the total mass M?
Start from Newton II: m₁·a₁ = F (from 2 onto 1) and m₂·a₂ = −F. Divide each by its mass and subtract: a₂ − a₁ = F·(1/m₂ + 1/m₁) = F/μ. So the relative acceleration a_rel satisfies μ·a_rel = F — structurally identical to a single-particle Newton equation, but with μ playing the role of inertial mass. μ is therefore the effective inertia of the *relative* motion; the centre-of-mass coordinate moves uniformly (when no external force acts) and depends on M = m₁+m₂. Once you decompose the two-body problem into "centre-of-mass" + "relative", which mass controls which inertia becomes obvious.
When can I approximate μ ≈ m_small, and when must I use the full formula?
It depends on the required precision. The error is 1 − μ/m_small = m_small / (m_small + m_large). Examples: (1) Earth around Sun → m_Earth/m_Sun ≈ 3×10⁻⁶, so approximating μ ≈ m_Earth costs only 3 ppm — fine for textbook orbital problems. (2) Hydrogen atom → mₑ/m_p ≈ 5.4×10⁻⁴, an error of ~540 ppm — spectroscopy at modern precision (Lamb-shift measurements, frequency-comb work) demands the full μ. (3) Binary star with equal masses → no approximation possible; μ = m/2 is a factor-of-two different from m. Rule of thumb: when m_large / m_small > 1000 the m_small approximation is good to ≤ 0.1 % and is acceptable for routine engineering work; high-precision physics always uses the full μ.
Why does the vibrational frequency of a diatomic molecule use μ rather than a single atomic mass?
Because the atoms vibrate *relative* to each other while the centre of mass stays put. Decomposing the two-body harmonic oscillator into "CoM" + "relative", the inertial mass of the relative coordinate is μ, so the spring constant k pairs with μ to give the vibrational frequency ω = √(k/μ). Worked example: for ¹²C¹⁶O, μ ≈ 6.86 u; for ¹³C¹⁶O, μ ≈ 7.17 u — the frequency ratio is √(6.86/7.17) ≈ 0.978, a 2.2 % red-shift that IR spectroscopy can resolve, enabling isotope identification. Likewise, H/D exchange (OH → OD) takes μ from ≈ 0.95 u to ≈ 1.79 u and shifts the OH-stretch from 3600 cm⁻¹ down to ~2600 cm⁻¹ — the basic mechanism behind the kinetic isotope effect.
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