rocket propulsion

Question

Rocket propulsion primarily relies on conservation of:

RankGuru · Accepted Answer

Rocket propulsion is a classic example of **Conservation of Linear Momentum**. 
- The rocket and its fuel form an isolated system (initially at rest, $P=0$).
- When the engine ignites, hot gases are expelled backward at high velocity ($m_{gas} \vec{v}_{gas}$). 
- To keep the total momentum zero, the rocket must gain an equal amount of momentum in the forward direction ($m_{rocket} \vec{v}_{rocket}$). 
- This is also explained by Newton's Third Law: the rocket pushes the gas back, and the gas pushes the rocket forward (thrust).

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rocket propulsion

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