A rocket with a lift-off mass 20,000kg is blasted upwards with an initial acceleration of 5.0ms−2. Calculate the initial thrust (force) of the blast.
Mass of rocket, m=20,000kg
Initial acceleration, a=5m/s2
g=10m/s2
Using Newton's second law of motion, the net force (thrust) acting on the rocket is given as:
F=mg+ma=m(a+g)=20000(10+5)=20000×15=3×105N
F=3×105N