Which principle explains the thrust produced by a jet engine?

The principle that explains the thrust produced by a jet engine is Newton's third law of motion, which states that for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. In the context of a jet engine, when the engine expels exhaust gases backward at high speed, it creates a forward thrust. This occurs because the action of pushing the gases backward results in the reaction of the aircraft being pushed forward.

In a jet engine, atmospheric air enters the engine, mixes with fuel, and is ignited. The combustion generates high-speed exhaust gases that exit the engine through the nozzle. The force of these gases moving in one direction (backward) leads to a force that propels the engine and the aircraft in the opposite direction (forward). This direct relationship between the expelled gases and the resulting thrust is a perfect application of Newton's third law.

The other principles, while important in different contexts, do not exclusively explain the thrust generation of jet engines. Bernoulli's principle pertains to fluid dynamics and the relationship between velocity and pressure of a fluid, which helps explain lift but is not specifically responsible for thrust. Archimedes' principle deals with buoyancy in fluids and is not applicable to jet propulsion. Conservation of momentum relates to the change in velocity