Final answer:
Jet turbines are engineered to break apart during a seizure to conserve angular momentum without damaging the wing of the aircraft. The separated pieces maintain the rotational momentum. Flywheels in piston engines smooth power delivery by storing rotational energy.
Step-by-step explanation:
Jet turbines in aircraft are carefully designed to handle high-speed rotation and manage angular momentum. When a jet turbine experiences a sudden seizure that could potentially transfer angular momentum to the plane's wing, the blades are constructed to detach or 'fly apart'. This is to prevent large amounts of force from affecting the wing structure, which could lead to catastrophic failure.
The conservation of angular momentum is a principle of physics wherein an object's rotational momentum remains constant if there is no external torque. As the blades fly apart, the angular momentum does not transfer to the wing but is conserved in the movement of the separated blade pieces. Each piece maintains a portion of the overall angular momentum, minimizing the impact on the plane's structure.
As for flywheels in piston engines, they work by storing rotational energy. They help to smooth out the power delivery of the engine between piston firings due to their inertia. The consistent angular momentum of the flywheel counteracts the intermittent thrusts of the pistons, resulting in a smoother operation of the engine.
Understanding the role of flywheels in piston engines and the way jet turbines are designed to conserve angular momentum provides insight into the intricate engineering is involved in modern aircraft like the Boeing 777.