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Efficient Acceleration

Here's a simple physics puzzle: suppose you're launching a model rocket. You want the rocket to go as high as possible. Is it better to design the rocket to:
A. Use all of its fuel very quickly, and then use its momentum to travel high
B. Use the fuel gradually over the whole duration of the flight

In other words, what is the fuel consumption rate that will maximize the height of the flight path? For this problem, we can assume that the thrust is proportional to the fuel consumption rate.

I'll try to post a solution to the problem in the future.

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Comments

  1. Ari WagenMarch 2, 2016 at 3:31 PM

    my bet would be using exponentially less and less fuel idk why but that makes sense bc rocket scientists are weird

    ReplyDelete

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