Symbol I^*
is part of the quantity the equation computes from the expression on the right.
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and it measures how mass is distributed radially rather than how much there is. A uniform sphere has = 0.4 . Anything smaller means mass concentrated toward the centre; anything approaching 0.4 means a body that is close to uniform in density, which for a rocky planet means undifferentiated.
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Equation 2 · Planetary Science
How We Know What Is Inside a Planet
This equation states an equality: the expressions on both sides have the same value under the article’s assumptions.
and it measures how mass is distributed radially rather than how much there is. A uniform sphere has = 0.4 . Anything smaller means mass concentrated toward the centre; anything approaching 0.4 means a body that is close to uniform in density, which for a rocky planet means undifferentiated.
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