Rocket Math: Thrust, Impulse, the Rocket Equation & Flight Simulation
Thrust curves and total impulse, motor classes, thrust-to-weight, the Tsiolkovsky rocket equation, staging, a step-by-step flight simulation with drag, ejection delay and parachute sizing: 8 hands-on labs for model rocketry and basic spaceflight. Fictional club and motors, educational only; always follow your local hobby rocketry safety code.
The first lesson is free — no account needed.
About this course
A rocket math course that does the calculations of one fictional model rocketry club, Skyline Rocketry, and its rocket Kestrel in a spreadsheet, for model rocketry hobbyists, physics and engineering students, teachers and anyone curious about spaceflight. You turn a thrust curve into total impulse with the trapezoid rule, find average thrust and the motor class letter, check thrust-to-weight, liftoff acceleration and rail-exit speed, compute delta-v and mass ratio with the Tsiolkovsky rocket equation and add it up stage by stage, simulate the flight with drag in Euler steps of 0.25 s, find the coast time, the apogee and the right ejection delay, and size a parachute for a safe descent rate. Fictional club and motors, with no affiliation with any manufacturer or organisation. Educational only, so always follow your local hobby rocketry safety code. The first lab is free.
Lessons
- Thrust Curve & Total Impulse with the Trapezoid RuleFree
- Average Thrust & Motor Class Letters Pro
- Thrust-to-Weight Ratio, Liftoff Acceleration & Rail-Exit Speed Pro
- The Tsiolkovsky Rocket Equation: Δv, Mass Ratio & Specific Impulse Pro
- Multi-Stage Rockets: Adding Up Δv Stage by Stage Pro
- Flight Simulation with Drag: Euler Steps to Apogee Pro
- Coast to Apogee & Choosing the Ejection Delay Pro
- Recovery: Parachute Size for a Safe Descent Rate Pro