Specific Impulse Calculator

Formula

The formula to calculate the Specific Impulse (Isp) is:

\[ Isp = \frac{F}{\dot{m} \cdot g} \]

Where:

\( Isp \) is the Specific Impulse (N/kg*m/s).
\( F \) is the Force (N).
\( \dot{m} \) is the Mass Flow Rate (kg/s).
\( g \) is the Acceleration due to Gravity (m/s²).

What is Specific Impulse?

Specific impulse is defined as the total impulse per unit of weight. This is most often used when looking at propulsion systems and fuel within rockets. It measures the efficiency of rocket engines and is a crucial parameter in aerospace engineering.

Example Calculation

Consider an example where:

Force (F): 5000 N
Mass Flow Rate (mdot): 10 kg/s
Acceleration due to Gravity (g): 9.81 m/s²

Using the formula to calculate the Specific Impulse:

\[ Isp = \frac{5000}{10 \cdot 9.81} = 50.97 \text{ N/kg*m/s} \]

This means that the specific impulse for this example is approximately 50.97 N/kg*m/s.