Model rockets are lightweight rockets powered by very small engines. A typical model rocket has a mass of 5g.Similarly, a typical "class C" model rocket engine can produce a total impulse of 10 Newton-seconds. We usually launch model rockets vertically, but if I instead launched this rocket horizontally, how fast would it be going in m/s after the engine burns out?
Force = mass(change in speed/change in time)
impulse = force*time = mass (change in speed)
10 = .005 ( v )
v = 10 /5*10^-3 = 2*10^3 = 2,000 m/s
WRONG
To calculate the speed of the rocket after the engine burns out, we can use the concept of conservation of momentum.
The equation for momentum is:
Momentum (p) = Mass (m) x Velocity (v)
Initially, the rocket is at rest, so its initial momentum is zero. Given that the mass of the rocket is 5 grams, we need to convert it to kilograms before proceeding with the calculations.
Mass of rocket (m) = 5 grams = 0.005 kilograms
The total impulse produced by the engine is given as 10 Newton-seconds. Impulse is defined as the change in momentum, so we can find the change in momentum of the rocket.
Change in momentum = Impulse
To find the final momentum of the rocket, we need to divide the impulse by the time it takes for the engine to burn out. Unfortunately, we don't have that information provided in the question. Without the time, we can't determine the rocket's final velocity accurately.
However, if you can provide the burning time of the engine (duration of thrust), we can modify the calculation and determine the rocket's final velocity.