How To: Apply Newton's laws of motion to thrust force w/ NASA

Learn Newton's laws of motion from the utmost authority on aeronautics -- NASA aka National Aeronautics and Space Administration. See how Newton's laws apply to aircrafts from the powerhouse of space exploration. They talk about thrust force as applied to aviation.

This NASA video segment from "Flight Testing Newton's Laws" explores how Newton's second law applies to the thrust force on an airplane. Viewers watch an instructor at NASA's National Test Pilot School and learn that an airplane's engines work to change the horizontal momentum of the air surrounding the airplane. Viewers also learn that this change in momentum is accomplished through increased propeller speed, increased propeller diameter or increased air pressure in the jet engines. Onscreen formulas and calculations represent the forces mathematically. For example, in one part, the instructor uses Newton's second law to derive an equation to find the minimum rpm's needed to provide enough thrust to an airplane.