ignition

CE5

Ignition system

ignition, apparatus for igniting a combustible mixture. The German engineer Nikolaus A. Otto, in his first gas engine, used flame ignition; another method was heating a metal tube to incandescence. Ignition systems in modern automobiles use an electric spark to ignite the compressed mixture of air and gasoline in the cylinders.

Sections in this article:

• Introduction
• Magneto and Diesel Ignition Systems
• The Spark Plug
• The Ignition Coil and Distributor
• Interrupting the Current
• Battery Ignition Systems

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