The History of Engines and How They Work

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What seems like a relatively new invention in today’s world actually spans its roots back to ancient times, when the first fully-functional engine was created. The engine design has went through many stages from basically being sticks and stones tied together, to rudimentary steam engines to forged aluminum engines boasting hundreds and thousands of horsepower. The most ancient engine in recorded history’s design consisted of nothing more than a natural waterfall, pots, two crudely shaped wheels, and some rope–to keep it all together. This design worked exceptionally well, considering the materials available at the time, but there was no way to store or use the energy created (Boumphrey 11). Humanity needed someone to “step up” and use the energy that these engines were creating. This was when the Hero of Alexandria created the first heart engine to open and close church temple doors in 100 A.D–was the earliest recorded history of utilizing steam power (Boumphrey 15). The Hero of Alexandria’s design used a stand, a large rotating ball, and a firepit (Green 128). Most engines now in existence are heat engines (Boumphrey 11). A heat engine is “a device that continuously converts thermal energy to mechanical energy” (Physics 922). The most popular use of a heat engine in today’s world is the internal combustion engine inside of automobiles. Yet, before the internal combustion engine existed, humans had to rely on another form of engine: the steam engine. The steam engine began its journey with the Hero of Alexandria, but did not widely get used until the Romans dreamed of ruling the world. The Romans were aggressively expanding their control over the world with the use of words, religion, and most importantly–war. War required ... ... middle of paper ... ...niversity of Michigan-Dearborn. Web. 17 Jan. 2014 Boumphrey, Geoffrey. Engines and How They Work. New York: Franklin Watts, Inc., 1960. Print Green, Amanda. “A Brief History of… Steam Engines.” Popular Mechanics Nov. 2012: 128. Student Research Center. EBSCOhost. 17 Jan 2014. Print. “internal-combustion engine.” Britannica School. Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc., 2014. Web. 16 Jan 2014 Leggett, Dave. “PowerBeat unveils new extruded engine.” Waikato Times 21 Nov. 1997: MT30. Student Research Center. EBSCOhost. 17 Jan. 2014. Print. Physics: Principles and Problems. Columbus: The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., 2005. Print. Tannert, Chuck. “Re-Inventing the engine.” Popular Mechanics Jul. 2008: 70-74. Student Research Center. EBSCOhost. 17 Jan. 2014. Print. Kirby, Richard Shelton, et. al. Engineering in History. New York: McGraw-Hill Book Company, Inc., 1956. Print.

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