Rigid body dynamics The result is a set of m equations of motion that define the dynamics of the rigid body system. If the generalized forces Q are derivable from a potential energy V(q...,q), then these equations of motion take the form In this case, introduce the Lagrangian, L=T-V, so these equations of motion become These are known as Lagrange's equations of motion. The linear and angular momentum of a rigid system of particles is formulated by measuring the position and velocity of the particles relative to the center of mass. Let the system of particles P, i=1...,n be located at the coordinates
Escape velocity Escape velocity In physics (specifically, celestial mechanics), escape velocity is the minimum speed needed for a free object to escape from the gravitational influence of a massive body. The escape velocity from Earth is about at the surface. More generally, escape velocity is the speed at which the sum of an object's kinetic energy and its gravitational potential energy is equal to zero; an object which has achieved escape velocity is neither on the surface, nor in a closed orbit (of any radius). With escape velocity in a direction pointing away from the ground of a massive body, the object