Klapoetke, Kevin Humphrey2015-04-142015-04-142014-06https://hdl.handle.net/11299/171364University of Minnesota Ph.D. dissertation. June 2014. Major: Physics. Advisor: Jeremy M. Mans. 1 computer file (PDF); x, 129 pages, appendices A-B.The understanding of transverse momentum in a proton-proton collision is important.Particularly at low values, measurements of transverse momentum are not in agreement with proposed models. This thesis describes a measurement of the physics behind the transverse momentum of the Z boson using a method that reduces the effect of energy resolution and capitalizes on the positional accuracy of the CMS detector. This method is a differential cross-section measurement with respect to the presented novel variable,. The data used was from the 2011 run at the LHC experiment, totaling 216pb-1 of integrated luminosity at sqrt(s) = 7TeV.enCMSNovel variableTransverse momentumZ bosonPhysicsThesis or Dissertation