Engine

An engine or motor is a machine designed to convert one form of energy into mechanical energy.Heat engines, including internal combustion engines and external combustion engines (such as steam engines), burn a fuel to create heat, which then creates a force. Electric motors convert electrical energy into mechanical motion; pneumatic motors use compressed air and others—such as clockwork motors in wind-up toys—use elastic energy. In biological systems, molecular motors, like myosins in muscles, use chemical energy to create forces and eventually motion.

Terminology

The word "engine" derives from Old French engin, from the Latin ingenium–the root of the word ingenious. Pre-industrial weapons of war, such as catapults, trebuchets and battering rams, were called "siege engines", and knowledge of how to construct them was often treated as a military secret. The word "gin", as in "cotton gin", is short for "engine". Most mechanical devices invented during the industrial revolution were described as engines—the steam engine being a notable example.

Engines (children's book)

Engines: Man's Use of Power, from the Water Wheel to the Atomic Pile is a 1959 science book for children by L. Sprague de Camp, illustrated by Jack Coggins, published by Golden Press. A revised edition issued as part of the publisher's Golden Library of Knowledge Series was published in 1961.

As stated on the cover, the work is a survey of "Man's use of power, from the water wheel to the atomic pile."

Reception

The Science News-Letter, in its July 18, 1959 issue, listed the book among its "Books of the Week," describing the work as a "[f]actual book for young readers."

Notes

13 Engines

13 Engines was a Canadian alternative rock band active in the 1990s.

Overview

Formed in 1985 as The Ikons, the band consisted of four York University students—vocalist John Critchley, guitarist Mike Robbins, bassist Jim Hughes and drummer Grant Ethier. They released a self-titled independent cassette in 1986 before changing their name to 13 Engines. This name was a reference to the automobile industry in Windsor, Ontario and Detroit, Michigan, which were the first two markets to embrace the band.

They released two independent albums, Before Our Time in 1987 and Byram Lake Blues in 1989, before signing to SBK Records in the United States and EMI in Canada.

Their major label debut, 1991's A Blur to Me Now, gave the band airplay for the singles "King of Saturday Night" and "Big Surprise". However, SBK dropped them soon afterward.

1993's Perpetual Motion Machine, produced by Critchley, was the band's breakthrough in Canada, spawning the hit singles "More", "Bred in the Bone" and "Smoke & Ashes", and led to a spot on The Tragically Hip's Another Roadside Attraction tour.