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Questions and Answers
What is the main purpose of gears in a car?
What is the main purpose of gears in a car?
What happens when the driver steps on the brake pedal?
What happens when the driver steps on the brake pedal?
What type of fuel do some car engines use instead of gasoline?
What type of fuel do some car engines use instead of gasoline?
What is required to accelerate along a road or drive up a steep hill?
What is required to accelerate along a road or drive up a steep hill?
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How do diesel engines ignite the fuel and air mixture inside the cylinders?
How do diesel engines ignite the fuel and air mixture inside the cylinders?
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What is the purpose of the low gear in a car?
What is the purpose of the low gear in a car?
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How do the brake pads slow down the car?
How do the brake pads slow down the car?
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What is a benefit of diesel engines compared to gasoline engines?
What is a benefit of diesel engines compared to gasoline engines?
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What gear would you use to cruise along a highway?
What gear would you use to cruise along a highway?
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What is a drawback of diesel engines compared to gasoline engines?
What is a drawback of diesel engines compared to gasoline engines?
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Who invented the first self-propelled road vehicle?
Who invented the first self-propelled road vehicle?
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What was the main issue with steam-powered carriages in the 1800s?
What was the main issue with steam-powered carriages in the 1800s?
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What type of engine was invented by Etienne Lenoir in 1869?
What type of engine was invented by Etienne Lenoir in 1869?
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What does the term 'Combustion' mean in relation to engines?
What does the term 'Combustion' mean in relation to engines?
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Who designed a more efficient internal combustion engine?
Who designed a more efficient internal combustion engine?
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What is the main function of the cylinders in an internal combustion engine?
What is the main function of the cylinders in an internal combustion engine?
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What is the benefit of using a V-shape arrangement for the cylinders in a car engine?
What is the benefit of using a V-shape arrangement for the cylinders in a car engine?
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How many cylinders can a car engine have?
How many cylinders can a car engine have?
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What is the name of the process where the piston moves four times for each explosion?
What is the name of the process where the piston moves four times for each explosion?
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What is the purpose of the spark plug in an internal combustion engine?
What is the purpose of the spark plug in an internal combustion engine?
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What happens when the fuel-air mixture explodes in the cylinder?
What happens when the fuel-air mixture explodes in the cylinder?
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What is the purpose of a turbocharger in a car engine?
What is the purpose of a turbocharger in a car engine?
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What is the name of the car that was powered by a single cylinder four-stroke internal combustion engine?
What is the name of the car that was powered by a single cylinder four-stroke internal combustion engine?
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What is the term for the turning force of the wheels?
What is the term for the turning force of the wheels?
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What is a benefit of diesel engines compared to gasoline engines?
What is a benefit of diesel engines compared to gasoline engines?
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What was the main issue with steam-powered carriages in the 1800s?
What was the main issue with steam-powered carriages in the 1800s?
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Who invented the internal combustion engine?
Who invented the internal combustion engine?
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What is a drawback of diesel engines compared to gasoline engines?
What is a drawback of diesel engines compared to gasoline engines?
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What is the name of the car that can travel 44.1 miles per gallon?
What is the name of the car that can travel 44.1 miles per gallon?
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What is the purpose of using a low gear when driving a car?
What is the purpose of using a low gear when driving a car?
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Why do cars need to use gears?
Why do cars need to use gears?
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What happens when the brake pads clamp hard against the brake disk?
What happens when the brake pads clamp hard against the brake disk?
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What is the role of the fluid in the brake pipes?
What is the role of the fluid in the brake pipes?
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Why do cars need to use a high gear when cruising along a highway?
Why do cars need to use a high gear when cruising along a highway?
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Who is credited with inventing the first practical motorized vehicle?
Who is credited with inventing the first practical motorized vehicle?
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What is the purpose of the crankshaft in an internal combustion engine?
What is the purpose of the crankshaft in an internal combustion engine?
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What is the benefit of a V-shape arrangement for the cylinders in a car engine?
What is the benefit of a V-shape arrangement for the cylinders in a car engine?
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What is the purpose of a supercharger or turbocharger in a car engine?
What is the purpose of a supercharger or turbocharger in a car engine?
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What is the result of the fuel-air mixture exploding in the cylinder?
What is the result of the fuel-air mixture exploding in the cylinder?
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Study Notes
Diesel Power
- Diesel engines do not need spark plugs to ignite the fuel and air inside the cylinders.
- Instead, the fuel and air explode spontaneously when the piston squeezes the mixture during the compression stroke.
- Diesel contains more energy than gasoline, so diesel cars can travel a greater distance for the same amount of fuel.
- The Porsche Panamera Diesel can travel 44.1 miles (71 km) per gallon.
History of Engines
- In the 1700s, engineers in Britain harnessed the power of steam to turn the wheels of steam locomotives.
- Nicolas Cugnot used a steam engine to power a tractor in 1769, the first self-propelled road vehicle.
- Etienne Lenoir invented the first internal combustion engine in 1869, which burned coal gas inside a metal engine.
- Nikolaus Otto designed a more efficient internal combustion engine that burned gasoline instead of coal gas.
- Otto's engine design is the basis for almost all modern automobile engines.
Internal Combustion Engine
- An internal combustion engine converts the energy locked away inside gasoline into the movement of the car's wheels.
- The engine unlocks this energy by burning the gasoline inside small metal chambers called cylinders.
- The cylinders are tubes cut into a lump of metal called the cylinder block.
- A car engine can have up to 16 cylinders in the cylinder block.
4-Stroke Cycle
- The 4-stroke cycle includes:
- Intake: the piston moves down, the cylinder takes in air, and the fuel injector squirts a tiny amount of gas into the cylinder.
- Compression: the piston moves up, squeezing the fuel-air mixture together.
- Explosion: a spark from the spark plug ignites the fuel-air mixture, driving the piston back down the cylinder.
- Exhaust: the piston moves back up, forcing burned gases into the car's exhaust system.
Engine Power
- German engineer Karl Benz made the first practical motorized vehicle in 1886, powered by a single-cylinder four-stroke internal combustion engine.
- Modern automobiles are more powerful, with larger engines and more cylinders to burn more gasoline.
- The cylinders in a car engine can be arranged in a straight line or in rows to make a V-shape.
- High-performance cars often have special boosters that squeeze more air into the cylinders, resulting in more powerful explosions and faster speeds.
Gears
- The crankshaft converts the up-and-down movement of the pistons into the turning force of the wheels, called torque.
- Cars use gears to increase the torque that is produced by the engine.
- The gears in a car are metal cogs of different sizes that line up inside the gearbox.
- Low gear is used to get a car moving or to climb a steep hill, with lots of torque.
- High gear is used to cruise along a highway, with less torque.
Braking
- Cars need a way to slow down as well as speed up.
- To slow down, the driver pushes their foot down on the brake pedal.
- The brake pedal is connected to the brakes on each wheel via fluid-filled pipes.
- The force of the foot is transmitted through the fluid in the brake pipes to brake pads at each wheel.
- The pads clamp hard against the brake disk on the wheel, slowing the wheel and reducing the speed of the car.
Diesel Power
- Diesel engines do not need spark plugs to ignite the fuel and air inside the cylinders.
- Instead, the fuel and air explode spontaneously when the piston squeezes the mixture during the compression stroke.
- Diesel contains more energy than gasoline, so diesel cars can travel a greater distance for the same amount of fuel.
- The Porsche Panamera Diesel can travel 44.1 miles (71 km) per gallon.
History of Engines
- In the 1700s, engineers in Britain harnessed the power of steam to turn the wheels of steam locomotives.
- Nicolas Cugnot used a steam engine to power a tractor in 1769, the first self-propelled road vehicle.
- Etienne Lenoir invented the first internal combustion engine in 1869, which burned coal gas inside a metal engine.
- Nikolaus Otto designed a more efficient internal combustion engine that burned gasoline instead of coal gas.
- Otto's engine design is the basis for almost all modern automobile engines.
Internal Combustion Engine
- An internal combustion engine converts the energy locked away inside gasoline into the movement of the car's wheels.
- The engine unlocks this energy by burning the gasoline inside small metal chambers called cylinders.
- The cylinders are tubes cut into a lump of metal called the cylinder block.
- A car engine can have up to 16 cylinders in the cylinder block.
4-Stroke Cycle
- The 4-stroke cycle includes:
- Intake: the piston moves down, the cylinder takes in air, and the fuel injector squirts a tiny amount of gas into the cylinder.
- Compression: the piston moves up, squeezing the fuel-air mixture together.
- Explosion: a spark from the spark plug ignites the fuel-air mixture, driving the piston back down the cylinder.
- Exhaust: the piston moves back up, forcing burned gases into the car's exhaust system.
Engine Power
- German engineer Karl Benz made the first practical motorized vehicle in 1886, powered by a single-cylinder four-stroke internal combustion engine.
- Modern automobiles are more powerful, with larger engines and more cylinders to burn more gasoline.
- The cylinders in a car engine can be arranged in a straight line or in rows to make a V-shape.
- High-performance cars often have special boosters that squeeze more air into the cylinders, resulting in more powerful explosions and faster speeds.
Gears
- The crankshaft converts the up-and-down movement of the pistons into the turning force of the wheels, called torque.
- Cars use gears to increase the torque that is produced by the engine.
- The gears in a car are metal cogs of different sizes that line up inside the gearbox.
- Low gear is used to get a car moving or to climb a steep hill, with lots of torque.
- High gear is used to cruise along a highway, with less torque.
Braking
- Cars need a way to slow down as well as speed up.
- To slow down, the driver pushes their foot down on the brake pedal.
- The brake pedal is connected to the brakes on each wheel via fluid-filled pipes.
- The force of the foot is transmitted through the fluid in the brake pipes to brake pads at each wheel.
- The pads clamp hard against the brake disk on the wheel, slowing the wheel and reducing the speed of the car.
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Description
Learn about how gears in a car work to increase torque, and how different gear sizes help handle various driving conditions. Discover the importance of low gear when getting a car moving or climbing steep hills.