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Published May 19, 2017 | Version v2
Journal article Open

Correction to the Traditional Ideal Rocket Thrust Equation

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Description

The accepted ideal rocket equation for thrust, found in countless textbooks, is proved to be incorrect. The correct replacement is then presented and shown to obey the full form of Newton's second law \(F={\dot p}\) , so the sum of external forces on the rocket is the time derivative of its momentum. The accepted velocity equation is correct, which may explain why this error has been overlooked.

Notes

v2: Added two new sections proving the same result by alternative methods. Original results unchanged.

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