Gas fraction of a galaxy ($\mu$)

The gas fraction of a galaxy is commonly $\mu =M_g/(M_g+M_s)$, using the gas and stellar masses remaining in the system. In a leaky-box model of galactic chemical evolution, it differs from the fraction $g=M_g/M_{g,0}$ of the initial gas reservoir. For an initially star-free box with outflow rate $\alpha {\dot{M}}_s$, $\mu =(1+\alpha )g/(1+\alpha g)$. These different fractions give different-looking metallicity formulae and effective yields.