Inlet:

The inlet is where the air goes into the engine. The inlet slows the air flow into the compressor. The compressor works better when the air flow coming in is slow. The inlet is made differently if the airplane is going to fly faster than the speed of sound.

Compressor:

The compressor takes air in and squeezes it. The same thing happens to the air you blow into a balloon. When the air under pressure goes out of the balloon it causes thrust (push). When the air leaves the compressor it is mixed with fuel (gas) and burned. The gases move at high speed, just like coming out of a balloon.

Combustor:

As the air comes into the combustor it is mixed with fuel and burned. The right amount of air and gas must be mixed and burned to get the most thrust. The gases become very, very hot. The engineer must make sure the combustor is made of metals that will not bend or break when there is high heat. The hot gases that come out go to the turbine to increase thrust and to run the compressor.

Turbine:

A turbine is also called an engine. This engine or turbine runs the compressor. The hot gases move very fast out of the combustor through the turbine and out into the air as thrust.

Sometimes an "afterburner" is added after the turbine. The afterburner heats up the gases again to get more thrust. The amount of heat is important. Too much heat can bend or break parts in the turbine.

Nozzle:

All the heated gases finally come out the back end of the jet engine through a nozzle. The nozzle is designed a special way to help the hot gases move even faster. This creates more thrust. The nozzle must be made of the kind of metals that won't melt or bend under high heat.