ELI5: How do Jet engines actually work?

A jet engine works by sucking in air, squeezing it, mixing it with fuel, lighting it up, and blasting the hot air out the back to push the plane forward.

• First, the engine pulls in air like a big vacuum cleaner.
• Then it squishes the air so there is lots of it in a small space.
• Next, it sprays in fuel and burns it, making the air get very hot and very strong.
• After that, the hot air rushes out the back very fast.
• That fast blast pushes the plane forward, kind of like when you let go of a balloon and it zips across the room.

• If water shoots out one way, the hose wants to move the other way.
• A jet engine does the same thing with air and fire.

• If you push backward on the floor with your feet, your body moves forward.
• A jet engine pushes air backward, so the plane moves forward.

So, in everyday life, a jet engine is just a super-fast machine that uses air + fuel + fire to make a big push forward.