simulate rocket physics in python

Simulating rocket physics in Python can be done by applying numerical methods to solve the equations of motion for the rocket. The following steps can be taken to simulate rocket physics in Python:

  1. Define the rocket's properties, such as its mass, shape, and coefficients of drag and thrust.

  2. Define the initial conditions, such as the rocket's position, velocity, and acceleration.

  3. Set up the equations of motion, which will include the forces acting on the rocket, such as gravity, drag, and thrust. These equations can be solved using numerical methods such as Euler's method or Runge-Kutta.

  4. Use a simulation loop to iteratively solve the equations of motion for small time steps. This will update the rocket's position, velocity, and acceleration at each time step.

  5. Plot the results to visualize the rocket's trajectory and analyze its behavior.

Here is an example Python code block to simulate rocket physics using the numpy and matplotlib libraries:

main.py
import numpy as np
import matplotlib.pyplot as plt

# Define rocket properties
mass = 1000.0 # kg
thrust = 20000.0 # N
drag_coeff = 0.2
area = 8.0 # m^2
gravity = 9.81 # m/s^2

# Define initial conditions
position = np.array([0.0, 0.0, 0.0]) # m
velocity = np.array([0.0, 0.0, 0.0]) # m/s
acceleration = np.array([0.0, 0.0, 0.0]) # m/s^2
time_step = 0.05 # s
total_time = 100.0 # s

# Define simulation loop
num_steps = int(total_time / time_step)
positions = np.zeros((num_steps, 3))
velocities = np.zeros((num_steps, 3))
for i in range(num_steps):
    # Calculate forces
    drag = 0.5 * drag_coeff * area * np.linalg.norm(velocity)**2 * -velocity / mass
    thrust_dir = np.array([0.0, 0.0, 1.0]) # pointing up
    thrust_force = thrust * thrust_dir
    gravity_force = mass * np.array([0.0, 0.0, -gravity])
    net_force = thrust_force + gravity_force + drag
    
    # Update acceleration, velocity, and position
    acceleration = net_force / mass
    velocity += acceleration * time_step
    position += velocity * time_step
    
    # Store position and velocity for plotting
    positions[i] = position
    velocities[i] = velocity

# Plot results
plt.figure()
plt.plot(positions[:, 0], positions[:, 2])
plt.xlabel('x (m)')
plt.ylabel('z (m)')
plt.title('Rocket Trajectory')
plt.show()
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