Torque the vector cross product, p is the particle's linear momentum, and r is the displacement vector from the origin (the origin is assumed to be a fixed location anywhere in space). The time-derivative of this is: This result can easily be proven by splitting the vectors into components and applying the product rule. Now using the definition of force formula_17 (whether or not mass is constant) and the definition of velocity formula_18 The cross product of momentum formula_20 with its associated velocity formula_21 is zero because velocity and momentum are parallel, so the second term vanishes. By definition, torque τ
Propellant mass fraction important role in the rocket equation: Where formula_10 is the ratio of final mass to initial mass (i.e., one minus the mass fraction), formula_11 is the change in the vehicle's velocity as a result of the fuel burn and formula_12 is the effective exhaust velocity (see below). The term effective exhaust velocity is defined as: where "I" is the fuel's specific impulse in seconds and "g" is the "standard acceleration of gravity" (note that this is not the local acceleration of gravity). To make a powered landing from orbit on a celestial body without an atmosphere requires the same mass