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Can you spin any airplane intentionally?

1. Yes
2. No

User Gabriell
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1 Answer

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Final answer:

Not all airplanes can be intentionally spun due to design limitations. In the case of a jet turbine seizure, the turbine is designed to disintegrate in a way that conserves angular momentum without exerting a significant rotational force on the aircraft's wing.

Step-by-step explanation:

Can you spin any airplane intentionally? The answer is 'No'. Not all airplanes are designed to be intentionally spun. The ability to enter and recover from an intentional spin depends on the aircraft's design, aerodynamics, and certification standards.

Now to clarify how jet turbines handle angular momentum, let's delve into physics. Jet turbines are constructed with safety features to manage angular momentum in the event of a sudden seizure. If a turbine seizes, the construction is such that it's meant to disintegrate in a controlled manner. This process of disintegration helps to ensure that the angular momentum of the spinning parts does not get transferred to the airplane's wing, which could cause catastrophic failure.

When a turbine part flies apart, it follows a trajectory that is governed by its angular momentum at the time of the seizure. This path is typically outward and forward, following the path of least resistance. By dispersing in multiple directions, individual pieces of the turbine carry their share of the momentum with them. This preserves the overall angular momentum of the system but crucially does not transfer a significant rotational force to the plane's structure, thus avoiding potential damage to the wing.

User Privard
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