Thrust is a force that moves an object through a fluid or in space. It is a reaction force described quantitatively by Newtons third law, which states that when a system expels or accelerates mass in one direction, the accelerated mass will cause a force of equal magnitude but opposite direction to be applied to that system. Thrust is generated by the engines of an aircraft or rocket, and it is a mechanical force that is measured using the International System of Units (SI) in newtons (symbol: N) . The amount of thrust or push in a spacecraft is related to how much matter is leaving the engine and at what speed the matter is leaving, minus resistance. The physics involved in the generation of thrust is introduced in middle school and studied in some detail in high school and college. The propulsion system used on an aircraft or rocket may vary from one to another, and each device produces thrust in a slightly different way. Some common terms related to thrust include:
- Gimballed thrust, most common in modern rockets
- Pound of thrust (same as pound (force))
- Stream thrust averaging
- Thrust-to-weight ratio
- Thrust vectoring
- Thrust reversal
- Tractive effort
In summary, thrust is a force that moves an object through a fluid or in space, generated by the engines of an aircraft or rocket, and measured in newtons.
