You can use the box below to create new pages for this mini-wiki. preload=Mass Spectrometer/preload editintro=Mass Spectrometer/editintro width=25 How a mass spectrometer works The basic principle If something is moving and you subject it to a sideways force, instead of moving in a straight line, it will move in a curve - deflected out of its original path by the sideways force. But suppose instead, you tried to deflect a table tennis ball travelling at the same speed as the cannonball using the same jet of water. Because this ball is so light, you will get a huge deflection. The sequence is :