 Mass second-moment tensor

The mass second-moment tensor about a centre of mass is $I_{jk}=\int y_j{y}_{k}dm$. It measures the shape of a mass distribution and appears in tidal torque theory. It differs from the mechanical inertia tensor, which is ${\mathcal{I}}_{jk}=\mathrm{tr}(I){\delta }_{jk}-I_{jk}$. For a uniform ellipsoid of mass $M$ and semiaxes $a_1,a_2,a_3$, its principal values are $M{a}_j^2/5$.