Internal Combustion Engine

The invention and development of the internal combustion engine in the nineteenth century has had a profound impact on human life. The internal combustion engine offers a relatively small, lightweight source for the amount of power it produces. Harnessing that power has made possible practical machines ranging from the smallest model airplane to the largest truck. Electricity is often generated by internal combustion engines. Lawnmowers, chainsaws, and generators also may use internal combustion engines. An important device based on the internal combustion engine is the automobile.

In all internal combustion engines, however, the basic principles remain the same. Fuel is burned inside a chamber, usually a cylinder. The energy created by the combustion, or burning, of the fuel is used to propel a device, usually a piston, through the chamber. By attaching the piston to a shaft outside of the chamber, the movement and force of the piston can be converted to other movements.