# Differential equation governing rocket flight
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/differential-equation-governing-rocket-flight/168340
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [April 12, 2003, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/differential-equation-governing-rocket-flight/168340 "2003-04-12T23:12:57Z")
**Posts on this page:** 4
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@ZOmegaZ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZOmegaZ)
#### Post date: [April 12, 2003, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/differential-equation-governing-rocket-flight/168340/1 "2003-04-12T23:12:57Z")
I’m supposed to write a paper on the differential equation governing rocket flight. I’m supposed to get at least three sources for this paper, including the equation itself and whatever background information I can find. Unfortunately, I can come up with no obvious sources for such information. My DE prof has some, but he’s out of town at the mo, so I thought I’d post here and see if the collective wisdom of the SD boards could help me out. 🙂
Thanks!
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### Author:  [@CurtC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CurtC)
#### Post date: [April 13, 2003, 3:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/differential-equation-governing-rocket-flight/168340/2 "2003-04-13T03:18:17Z")
Friday, I was a judge at the Texas state science fair for high schools and middle schools. One of the projects I judged was by two kids who did some rocketry, and they predicted the altitude that a rocket reached by something called the Euler equation.
Hope this helps…
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### Author:  [@g8rguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/g8rguy)
#### Post date: [April 13, 2003, 4:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/differential-equation-governing-rocket-flight/168340/3 "2003-04-13T04:19:55Z")
Well, it’s really not too bad. I don’t remember the details, but it’s just Newton’s Law: F = dp / dt, where p = mv, v = dx/dt, and of course, the rocket’s mass will be time dependent. What form you choose for F will depend, of course, on whether the rocket is in a gravitational field or not.
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### Author:  [@andy\_fl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/andy_fl)
#### Post date: [April 13, 2003, 12:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/differential-equation-governing-rocket-flight/168340/4 "2003-04-13T12:42:25Z")
Depends on what level you are looking at :
**1\> High School Physics**
[Here](http://nov55.com/roc.html)
**2\> If you are looking to intercept a missile**
[here](http://www.cds.caltech.edu/~milam/research/tj.htm)