How does an internal combustion engine work?

Answer 1

A 4 stroke gasoline internal combustion engine operates on a 4 stroke cycle, hence the name, "4 stroke engine". The first stroke is the intake stroke, the piston moves down the cylinder, which creates a vaccume, which draws in fuel and air from the induction system. The second stroke is the compression stroke. The piston starts at the bottom of the cylinder and begins to move up, compressing the air and fuel mixture. Just before the piston is at the top of the cylinder (top dead center), the spark plug fires, igniting the compressed air and fuel mixture. The resulting explosion causes the 3rd stroke, the power stroke. The force of the explosion pushes the piston back down the cylinder, turning the crankshaft. The 4th and final stroke is the exhaust stroke. After the power stroke, there is exhaust gas left in the cylinder. The piston moves back up as the exhaust valve opens, pushing the gases up the cylinder and out the exhaust. This cycle continues thousands of time per minute as the engine is running. If anyone was wondering, a 14 year old wrote this explanation.