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In this derivation of the Ideal Rocket Equation (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tsiolkovsky_rocket_equation#Most_popular_derivation), they use the fact that ##V_e = V - v_e##, or that the velocity of the exhaust in the observer frame ##V_e## is the velocity of the rocket ##V## minus the speed of the exhaust relative to the rocket ##v_e##.
But since the rocket has sped up by ##dV## during the time it took to eject the exhaust, shouldn't this expression really be ##V_e = V + dV - v_e##? Note that even if my reasoning is correct, it doesn't actually make a difference in the derivation because dV ends up being in a product of two differentials, which equals 0.
But since the rocket has sped up by ##dV## during the time it took to eject the exhaust, shouldn't this expression really be ##V_e = V + dV - v_e##? Note that even if my reasoning is correct, it doesn't actually make a difference in the derivation because dV ends up being in a product of two differentials, which equals 0.