ERIC Number: EJ858119
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2009
Pages: 10
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0020-739X
EISSN: N/A
An Exact Solvable Model of Rocket Dynamics in Atmosphere
Rodrigues, H.; Pinho, M. O.; Portes, D., Jr.; Santiago, A.
International Journal of Mathematical Education in Science and Technology, v40 n4 p523-532 2009
In basic physics courses at undergraduate level, the dynamics of self-propelled bodies is presented as an example of momentum conservation law applied to systems with time-varying mass. However, is often studied the simple situation of free motion or the motion under the action of a constant gravitational field. In this work, we investigate the more realistic case of time-dependent motion of an ascending rocket subjected to a quadratic drag exerted by the earth atmosphere. Interestingly, the resulting rocket equation of motion falls into a Riccati equation. Detailed solutions of the model differential equations are presented and discussed. (Contains 4 figures.)
Descriptors: Physics, Motion, Calculus, Science Instruction, College Science, Scientific Principles, Equations (Mathematics)
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: Higher Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A