Very OT: Difference btwn a motor and an engine?

LOL

An "engine" is anything that produces an output which is dependant on the input. An engine does not have to produce any mechanical effect. Therefore, Google is a search "engine" because the output (a list of weblinks) is dependant on the input (the search criteria). A medieval siege tower was also known as a siege "engine".

A "motor" is a machine that converts an energy input into kinetic energy. An electrical motor converts electrical energy into rotational kinetic energy. A pneumatic motor converts pressure energy into either rotational or translational kinetic energy.

All motors are engines, but not all engines are motors.

Careful or you'll get to the Family Guy, museum attendant stage with time!

FG (as boy) "Why did the dinosaurs die out ?"

MA "Because you touch yourself at night!"

Richard.

To make things even more interesting, consider Rocket Motors vs. Rocket Engines.

Rocket "Motors" are usually simple solid fuel rockets where Rocket "Engines" are usually liquid oxidizer and liquid propellant devices utilizing a complex collection of mechanisms but there are some exceptions to the Rocket Motor vs. Rocket Engine definition. The Space Shuttle program avoids the Motor vs. Engine question altogether by calling the Shuttle's solid strap-on propulsion units "Solid Rocket Boosters" or SRBs for short.

There is still a "gray area" where engineers disagree over the general defnition of what precisely is a Motor and what is an Engine.

Martin

See if this keeps 'em busy for awhile:

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"Although the terms sometimes cause confusion, there is no real difference between an 'engine' and a 'motor.' At one time, the word 'engine' (from Latin, via Old French, ingenium, 'ability') meant any piece of machinery. A 'motor' (from Latin motor, 'mover') is any machine that produces mechanical power. Traditionally, electric motors are not referred to as 'engines,' but combustion engines are often referred to as 'motors.'"

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motor 1447, from L. motor, lit. "mover," from movere "to move" (see move). From 15c. as "controller, prime mover" (in reference to God); sense of "agent or force that produces mechanical motion" is first recorded 1664; that of "machine that supplies motive power" is from

1856. With explosive use 20c. as a comb. form of motor-car. First record of motor-cycle attested 1896; motor-boat is from 1902. Motor-car is from 1895; motorist is from 1896. For motorcade (1913) see cavalcade. First record of slang motor-mouth "fast-talking person" is from 1971. engine c.1300, from O.Fr. engin "skill, cleverness," also "war machine," from L. ingenium "inborn qualities, talent," from in- "in" + gen-, root of gignere "to beget, produce." At first meaning a trick or device, or any machine (especially military); sense of one that converts energy to mechanical power is 18c., especially of steam engines. Engineer "locomotive driver" is first attested 1839, Amer.Eng.

---------------- HowStuffWorks

They must have read the editorial in Hemmings Classic Car for July 2006. The editor was busy clearing up termms used in car restorations. The upshot is don't use 'motor' for the gasoline engine in any articles for his mag. Oh, and dump 'frame-off restoration'. One usually has to take the body off the frame, not the other way 'round.

My favourite is from my friend near LA who was quite the Mopar restorer. Most Mopars built since 1960 can't have a '-off' restoration whether body or frame. :)

Bill Banaszak, MFE Sr.

Mad-Modeller wrote: : : My favourite is from my friend near LA who was quite the Mopar restorer. : Most Mopars built since 1960 can't have a '-off' restoration whether : body or frame. :) : Unless it is a truck. :-)

Bruce

If you get a bunch of engineers together they can be counted on to disagree on just about anything. :-)

Bill Shuey retired engineer!

I don't think he did trucks leaving neither of us to consider them. :)

Bill Banaszak, MFE Sr.

LOL That's one of the things that makes engineering such fun!

Dunno about enjiniers, but I had always thought that the difference between a motor and an engine was that motors are only electric whereas engines use a fuel (name your poison).

Then also, doesn't it also matter what english is being used, eg British vs American english? We use enough words in common that have totally different meanings.

---- Stephen

Then there's how the same word is pronounced which means something totally different.

Take route;

Which, for some reason in the US is pronounced (read meaning);

Those must be some tough roads and strangely enough not a sketch undertaken by Bob Newhart about Custer's Last Stand and how to get there. :-)

Richard.

Simple (although car racers - especially drag racers - get the two mixed up all the time).

A MOTOR needs an outside source of power to run: i.e. an electric MOTOR.

An ENGINE runs on it's own, without outside power, once it's started: i.e. an automobile engine.

Hal Sanguinetti Glendale AZ

Unlike some other languages, English has no national "academies" to regulate lanquage. Definitions differ from one dictionary to another, and country by country. So words vary in useage by region, profession, etc.

Engine is a much more generic term, meaning basically a mechanism or machine.

In US the term is usually preferred to "motor" when used to describe an internal combustion engine, but in Britain, for example, motor is the more common term.

Basically in English the terms can legitimately be used interchangably when speaking of a car engine, but of course, one does not speak of a fire motor, a train motor or such. Thus engine is a more broad term.

In common US use, the use with steam is ambiguous. A steam engine can refer to only the "expander", the cylinder(s) or turbine, while it can also refer to the whole powerplant, motor plus boiler.

In nautical terminology they avoid this by talking about the "machinery" which includes boiler, condensor, expander and associated hardware.

"prime mover" is another term for what we in US often call an engine.

Unlike some other languages, English has no national "academies" to regulate lanquage. Definitions differ from one dictionary to another, and country by country. So words vary in useage by region, profession, etc.

Engine is a much more generic term, meaning basically a mechanism or machine.

In US the term is usually preferred to "motor" when used to describe an internal combustion engine, but in Britain, for example, motor is the more common term.

Basically in English the terms can legitimately be used interchangably when speaking of a car engine, but of course, one does not speak of a fire motor, a train motor or such. Thus engine is a more broad term.

In common US use, the use with steam is ambiguous. A steam engine can refer to only the "expander", the cylinder(s) or turbine, while it can also refer to the whole powerplant, motor plus boiler.

In nautical terminology they avoid this by talking about the "machinery" which includes boiler, condensor, expander and associated hardware.

"prime mover" is another term for what we in US often call an engine.

Actually there is a dirrecence in US ships, engines were internal combustion types and part of the drive train. Motors were electric (Lexington class carriers, Tennessee and Colorado class battelships two name two that used them) run off the generators. Then there are the turbine drives, whether they be steam or gas turbines. In ships where they either used motors or turbines the entire collection of machinery from boilers to prop shafts was called the powerplant.

When I was growing up I thought an engine was someone who fought with cowboys and motor was something you did. For instance: I think I'm gonna motor over the McDonalds and get a burger and some fries. (:>

"Count DeMoney" wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@i42g2000cwa.googlegroups.com:

LOL,

That gives a whole new meaning of "lets go play cowboys and engines"

Then shouldn't the Indianapolis Motor Speedway be the Engine Speedway?

Craig