Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2008 iii Paper 72 2 ii Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-14
The rotation-anisotropy diagram below uses the oblate-rotator flattening proxy for . Each curve starts at and rises as increases. The plotted domains cover typical spheroid values, roughly and , with the upper axis extended to show the reference curve's rise. The shaded regions are schematic overlapping populations, not measurements or sharp classification boundaries.
Giant elliptical galaxies commonly have low ordered rotation for their observed flattening, lying below the oblate isotropic rotator reference. Anisotropic velocity dispersions and, in many cases, triaxial structure provide support. Lower-luminosity elliptical galaxies are more commonly rotating, disky systems near the isotropic reference. Classical galactic bulges of spiral galaxies often overlap this rotating-spheroid locus; disk-like bulges can be more strongly rotation supported. These are population trends with substantial overlap, not universal rules for individual galaxies.
Observations usually use projected ellipticity and a line-of-sight rotation measure such as peak speed divided by a central velocity dispersion. The intrinsic and global dispersions used in the derivation are different quantities. Inclination, apertures, and unresolved streaming can change both coordinates. Consequently a point below the reference suggests extra random-motion support, but does not uniquely measure .
