This remarkable Web site contains descriptions and animations of nineteen different kinds of engines. Engine types include internal combustion, steam, and sterling engines, and each page shows how the piston, crankshaft, and other components move together to generate power. The animations demonstrate the processes of intake, compression, and exhaust. Some of the featured engines have more detailed...

• More Info

Researchers at the University of Birmingham School of Engineering have developed microengines, a breakthrough in nanotechnology that has the potential to eventually replace the conventional battery. This short video summarizes the characteristics and uses for this remarkable innovation. Microengines reportedly have "over 300 times more energy than an ordinary battery, and are much lighter and...

• More Info

This website provides and easy-to-read overview on how a car engine works, with more detailed pages and diagrams on Internal Combustion, Parts of an Engine, What Can Go Wrong, Engine Subsystems, How to Help an Engine Produce More Power, and other information. Note of warning: The site is heavy on advertising.

• More Info

This website from How Stuff Works (see also Scout Report for Science & Engineering, September 16, 1998) provides images and articles showing how an electric motor works. The article explains the basic components of a simple DC electric motor by dissecting an electric motor similar that found in a typical toy. Each part of the engine is pictured and then described. Links to related topics are also...

• More Info