= Mass resolution
{title2=$R=x/\Delta x$}
{wiki}
= Mass resolving power
{synonym}
<Mass resolving power> compares a peak coordinate $x$ with a stated width or separation criterion $\Delta x$. With $\Delta x$ taken as <full width at half maximum>, a <Gaussian function> of <standard deviation> $\sigma$ has
$$
\Delta x=2\sqrt{2\log2}\,\sigma,\qquad R=\frac{x}{\Delta x}.
$$
At the <neon-20> coordinate in the synthetic <mass spectrum>, $\sigma=0.04$ gives $\Delta x\approx0.0942$ and $R\approx212$, while $\sigma=0.70$ gives $\Delta x\approx1.648$ and $R\approx12.1$. The width criterion and relative peak areas both matter when judging whether a small neighboring <isotope> can be distinguished. <Mass resolution> also differs from the accuracy of a calibrated peak position.
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