A Mathematical Model

<BODY LANG="EN" > <HR> <center> <table border=1> <tr> <td><A HREF="node1.html"><img height=36 width=36 alt="PREVIOUS" src="/UCESIcons/tools/previous.gif"></A></td> <td><A HREF="rocket.html"><img height=36 width=36 alt="UP" src="/UCESIcons/tools/up.gif"></A></td> <td><A HREF="node3.html"><img height=36 width=36 alt="NEXT" src="/UCESIcons/tools/next.gif"></A></td> <td><A HREF="contents-node2.html"><img height=36 width=36 alt="CONTENTS" src="/UCESIcons/tools/toc.gif"></a></td> </tr> </table> </center> <HR> <H1>A Mathematical Model</H1> <P> The liftoff and flight of the rocket is a <EM>physical</EM> phenomenon. But in order to analyze the process, or to predict future rocket flights, we need to be able to <EM>model</EM> the process--or at least some simplified version of it--with mathematics. Actually, the models we are looking for have already been written for us in incredibly simple form. They are Newton's laws of motion. <P> The most useful of these is the second law, which states that the sum of all forces acting on an object equals the mass of the object times its rate of change of velocity, or acceleration. In symbols: <P> <IMG WIDTH=500 HEIGHT=34 ALIGN=BOTTOM ALT="[equation 1]" SRC="img1.gif"> <P> <HR> <center> <table border=1> <tr> <td><A HREF="node1.html"><img height=36 width=36 alt="PREVIOUS" src="/UCESIcons/tools/previous.gif"></A></td> <td><A HREF="rocket.html"><img height=36 width=36 alt="UP" src="/UCESIcons/tools/up.gif"></A></td> <td><A HREF="node3.html"><img height=36 width=36 alt="NEXT" src="/UCESIcons/tools/next.gif"></A></td> <td><A HREF="contents-node2.html"><img height=36 width=36 alt="CONTENTS" src="/UCESIcons/tools/toc.gif"></a></td> </tr> </table> </center> <HR> <ADDRESS> Boyd Gatlin </ADDRESS> <P> </BODY>