Spark Plug

engines · electricity · cars

Creates the spark. A spark plug uses electricity to make a spark jump across a tiny gap, kind of like a miniature lightning bolt inside your car's engine. This spark ignites the fuel and air mixture, which creates the explosion that makes your car move.

Built like a sandwich. A spark plug has a metal shell on the outside, a ceramic insulator in the middle, and a central electrode in the very center. The ceramic insulator keeps the electricity from escaping where it shouldn't go.

Powered by the coil. A heavily insulated wire connects the spark plug to an ignition coil, which sends super-high voltage electricity to make the spark happen. This electricity is way stronger than what comes from a car battery.

Works in the gap. The magic happens in a tiny space between the central electrode and the ground electrode. The electricity jumps across this gap to create the spark that starts the combustion.

Every cylinder needs one. Most car engines have multiple cylinders, and each one has its own spark plug that fires in a precise sequence to keep the engine running smoothly and powerfully.