The Rocket Equation

In February Matt met astronaut Chris Hadfield and together they derived the Rocket Equation which tells us how much fuel is needed to get a certain mass into orbit. The full notes and maths from the video and an activity for students can be found below.

Equipment needed

A calculator.

Curriculum Topics Covered

The Rocket Equation – The full notes and maths from the video for sixth formers and teachers. Topics include: momentum, integration, logs and exponentials. 

Rocket Energy – energy physics, algebraic manipulation.

More information

See Teacher Solutions for solutions to Rocket Energy and the bonus activities in The Rocket Equation.