ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Geared turbofan

Okay kiddo, imagine you're playing with a toy car. Now imagine that car has an engine in it that makes it go really fast. A geared turbofan is like that engine, but for bigger airplanes that people ride in.

The geared turbofan works by using a fan, kind of like a big propellor, to suck air into the airplane engine. But instead of just having one fan, there are two! One big fan pulls in most of the air, and then a smaller fan pulls in even more air and helps it go really fast.

When the air goes through the engine, it gets mixed with fuel and burned, which gives off energy. That energy then turns a turbine, kind of like a windmill, and that makes the engine go even faster.

But here's the cool part - the geared turbofan has a special system that lets the engine work better at different speeds. It's kind of like having different gears on your bike. When your bike is going uphill, you use a lower gear so it's easier to pedal. And when you're going downhill, you use a higher gear so you can go faster.

The geared turbofan works the same way - it can change gears depending on how fast the airplane is going. That means it's more efficient and can save fuel, which is better for the environment and for the people flying on the airplane.

So in short, a geared turbofan is like a very advanced engine for airplanes that has two fans and can change gears to work better at different speeds, making it more efficient and better for the environment.
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