Eli5: Why is fuel/petroleum the liquid that makes cars run? What’s happening inside the car with this specific liquid that makes it go that can’t happen with other liquids?
In: Technology
Petroleum isn’t unique – it just needs to be a flammable liquid. The power of an engine comes from burning (exploding, actually) that flammable liquid. The explosion pushes a metal rod that turns the wheels. This happens over and over – lots of small explosions – to keep the metal rod moving and the wheels turning. The rumble sound the engine makes is the sound of all those explosions.
While you can use different flammable liquids to make an engine run, our cars require petroleum because they were designed for it. If you used a different liquid you need a slightly different design. Diesel is another common fuel for engines (used for large trucks, usually) and it requires a slightly different engine design. But the basic principle is the same.
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