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The Tsiolkovsky Rocket Equation (hereafter referred to simply as “the rocket equation”) models the ultimate velocity of a rocket given its mass, the mass of fuel, and the velocity of the exhaust. While it may seem at first to be a straightforward relationship, the fundamental problem of rocketry is that a rocket must lift its own fuel. Say you want your 1000 kg rocket to accelerate to 1000 km/h, and you find that 200 kg of fuel has enough oomph to get 1000 kg up to that speed. So you fuel up your rocket, which now weighs 1200 kg, meaning it’s too heavy to get up to speed. So you have to add more fuel to lift the weight of the fuel. And again, and again and again…

Since Bézier curves are so ubiquitous in computer graphics, they are a natural choice for plotting the graph of a function. At their core, Bézier curves are polynomial in nature, so unless the graph is for a polynomial function with the same degree as our Bézier curve, we are forced to approximate. In this post, I will detail the thought process behind my implementation of a Bézier function plotter.

Electric Vehicles are an attractive option for the environmentally conscious commuter chiefly due to their lack of exhaust pipe. But do EVs have a secret carbon footprint that is hidden away from us? The short answer is yes, but they are still largely better in this regard than traditional internal combustion engine vehicles. If you are considering buying an EV with carbon emissions as your primary concern, going electric is probably your best choice, but there are cases when a hybrid may actually be better (for now)!