![cover image](https://wikiwandv2-19431.kxcdn.com/_next/image?url=https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/0c/Impctprmtr.png/640px-Impctprmtr.png&w=640&q=50)
Impact parameter
Distance between a projectile path and center of a potential field affecting it / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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In physics, the impact parameter b is defined as the perpendicular distance between the path of a projectile and the center of a potential field U(r) created by an object that the projectile is approaching (see diagram). It is often referred to in nuclear physics (see Rutherford scattering) and in classical mechanics.
![Thumb image](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/0c/Impctprmtr.png/640px-Impctprmtr.png)
The impact parameter is related to the scattering angle θ by[1]
where v∞ is the velocity of the projectile when it is far from the center, and rmin is its closest distance from the center.[2]