Equation 4: The Simplified Radar Equation Solved for Z

 

Where:

Z = target reflectivity

P_r = power returned to the radar from a target (watts)

R  = target range

C_r = radar constant

L_a = attenuation (signal loss) factor

This is the same as Equation 3, but solved for the target reflectivity. It says that the target reflectivity equals the power returned to the radar times the target range squared, both divided by the quantity C_r times L_a.