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ID: past-exam-of-the-mathematics-course-of-the-university-of-cambridge/2010/iii/paper-60/3/i/solution
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2010 iii Paper 60 3 i Solution by
Codex 0 Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-14
Let be a characteristic radius enclosing mass , and let denote a one-dimensional velocity dispersion. Gravity and random-motion support give a relation , where the dimensionless structure coefficient depends on the chosen radius and density profile. A crossing-based galactic dynamical time is thereforeThe scaling follows by equating acceleration scales and , not by identifying a complete orbital period with a crossing time. An explicit scale-free example checks the coefficient: constant circular speed and spherical symmetry give and . With isotropic constant velocity dispersion, the Spherical Jeans equation becomesso , , and . This is the singular isothermal sphere scaling, valid over an interior radial range; a literal infinite model has no finite total mass, and a hard finite boundary needs a pressure term or an outer transition. A free-fall time of a uniform sphere or orbital period changes the numerical factor. The subsequent estimates use the nominal scale , keeping these order-unity structural uncertainties explicit.
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