Question

How do you calculate the acceleration of a rocket?

Answer 1

Please refer to the explanation below.

Explanation:

I would say we use the equation

`a=(F-mg)/m`

where `F` is the force of the rocket, `m` is the mass of the rocket, and `g` as the gravitational constant `(~~9.81 \ "m/s"^2)` on Earth.

The `mg` turns out to become the weight of the rocket, which is acting down, so we have to subtract it from the force the rocket applies to go up. Then, the rest of the equation can be derived from Newton's second law:

`F=ma`