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 alternative expression for the escape velocity formula_6 particularly useful at the surface on the body is: where "r" is the distance between the center of the body and the point at which escape velocity is being calculated and "g" is the gravitational acceleration at that distance (i.e., the surface gravity). For a body with a spherically-symmetric distribution of mass, the escape velocity formula_6 from the surface is proportional to the radius assuming constant density, and proportional to the square root of the average density ρ. where formula_14 The escape velocity "relative to the surface" of a rotating body depends on