Vasantha Kumari
Last Activity: 11 Years ago
You can use the concept of reduced mass for only particles
that are bounded by forces of mutual attraction and conditions as mentioned
below.
Examples:
1.Gravitational force - Two stars bounded by the gravitational force, Earth
moon system
2. Diatomic Molecule - Two atoms separated by the same distance and of course
bounded by attractive forces.
In a system of masses of two of one of which is heavy(M) and other
light(m), the lighter one when given a velocity moves around the heavier
one in a circular orbit. However, when their masses are negligible or both
masses are equal we find the centre of mass lies between them and we
consider this two particle system as a single one with reduced mass(
).

Regards,
Vasantha,
AskIITian Expert, MSc, B.Ed
(CTTE
College, Chennai)