Article
Article
Propulsion
Article By:
Grey, Jerry Greyrad Corporation, Princeton, New Jersey.
Last reviewed:January 2020
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1036/1097-8542.549100
The process of causing a body to move by exerting a force against it. Propulsion is based on the reaction principle, stated qualitatively in Newton's third law, that for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. A quantitative description of the propulsive force exerted on a body is given by Newton's second law, which states that the force applied to any body is equal to the rate of change of momentum of that body, and is exerted in the same direction as the momentum change. See also: Newton's laws of motion
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