Inside the Running Engine

Follow the moving parts inside an engine and discover how burning fuel becomes a turning shaft. Investigate the cycle, valve timing, shared pushes and air–fuel balance, then use evidence to explain faults. Six investigations for ages 12 and up.

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Make it turn

Lesson 1

The Turn That Shouldn’t Happen

Inside a car engine, a piston moves up and down in a straight line. How can that movement turn the wheels round and round?

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Lesson 2

More Than a Bang

Burning fuel pushes a piston down inside an engine. How does the engine get ready to make the next push in the same space?

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Keep it in time

Lesson 3

Who Opens the Door?

An engine’s small valves open and shut again and again. How does each valve open at the right moment without someone controlling it?

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Lesson 4

Who Fires Next?

Each piston in an engine gives only a brief push, then must get ready to push again. How can several pistons keep the same shaft turning smoothly?

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Feed it and read it

Lesson 5

What the Pedal Really Moves

Press the pedal and the engine roars, but what did the pedal actually let in?

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Lesson 6

Three Engines That Won’t Behave

An engine shakes while a car waits at traffic lights, but keeps running. What could make its pushes uneven?

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Review and assessment

Lesson 7

Test: Inside the Running Engine

Review the course ideas by applying them to new situations, with kind feedback after every answer.

Locked till you take the prior lesson