Working mass Working mass Working mass, also referred to as reaction mass, is a mass against which a system operates in order to produce acceleration. In the case of a rocket, for example, the reaction mass is the fuel shot backwards to provide propulsion. All acceleration requires an exchange of momentum, which can be thought of as the "unit of movement". Momentum is related to mass and velocity, as given by the formula "P = mv," where "P" is the momentum, "m" the mass, and "v" the velocity. The velocity of a body is easily changeable, but in most cases the mass
Mass flow rate ejecting spent fuel. Often, descriptions of such objects erroneously invoke Newton's second law F =d("m"v)/d"t" by treating both the mass "m" and the velocity v as time-dependent and then applying the derivative product rule. A correct description of such an object requires the application of Newton's second law to the entire, constant-mass system consisting of both the object and its ejected mass. In hydrodynamics, mass flow rate is the rate of flow of mass. In electricity, the rate of flow of charge is electric current. Mass flow rate In physics and engineering, mass flow rate is the mass of a