How Does Adding Mass Affect the Thrust of a Model Rocket?

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Homework Help Overview

The discussion revolves around the effects of adding mass to a model rocket on its thrust. The original poster, Sienna, describes a scenario involving a model rocket launched with a specific engine and seeks to understand how the addition of mass influences thrust and acceleration.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory, Assumption checking

Approaches and Questions Raised

  • Participants question whether the thrust of the rocket changes with added mass or if the focus should be on the resulting acceleration. There is also a consideration of how thrust relates to velocity and mass.

Discussion Status

The discussion is ongoing, with participants exploring different interpretations of the problem. Some guidance has been offered regarding the relationship between thrust, mass, and acceleration, but no consensus has been reached on the specific question posed by Sienna.

Contextual Notes

There is uncertainty regarding the exact requirements of the homework question, particularly whether the focus should be on thrust or acceleration. Sienna has expressed a lack of resources and knowledge on the topic, which may affect the discussion.

Sienna1123
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Homework Statement


Hi. I'm in high school physics, and as I'm only 2 months in, I still don't know much. We launched a model rocket as an experiment and I need to find the thrust after adding 100g of mass to the rocket's body.

The engine is an Estes A8-3. My teacher told me that its thrust is 2N in less than 1s.
The original mass of the model rocket is 35g, and we added 100g of mass to the body.
I'm trying to find the thrust after the 100g was added, and then the average between the before and after.

We haven't been taught anything about thrust and I don't have my book with me so I'm lost! I'm sorry if I didn't include important info, or if I seem like I don't know anything because I honestly don't in this case!

Thank you,
Sienna
 
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If the engine is the same, I don't see why the thrust should change. Are you sure you're asked to find the new thrust and not the new acceleration?
 
Nathanael said:
If the engine is the same, I don't see why the thrust should change. Are you sure you're asked to find the new thrust and not the new acceleration?
See that's why I was confused! I'm sure he said thrust. I have no clue what he means, but I'll ask him later. Thanks anyway :)
 
Thrust will depend a bit on velocity and velocity depends on the mass, but I think you can neglect this for your analysis here. Acceleration will certainly depend on mass.
 
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