What’s the difference between an engine and a motor?
In: Engineering
In rocketry, engine refers to something that runs on liquid fuel, while motor refers to solid fuel. So an Atlas V has two engines, and anywhere from zero to 5 motors. Similar for the space shuttle. But you will find even experts slipping up on the difference, and for hybrid rockets, there’s not really a clear consensus.
In the world or Rockets, an engine is liquid fueled such as kerosene or RP-1 and a motor has a solid fuel. In the case of amateur rockets, a solid fuel rocket may use black powder.
Engine originally meant “mechanical device”. Later the most popular type of engine was the “steam engine”. The meaning of engine became more narrow to mean “device that converts energy to mechanical power”. But we still use it more like it’s original meaning “graphics engine” for example.
Motor comes from Latin and means “mover”. Meaning latter narrowed to “machine that supplies motive power”.
If it creates movement, it’s a motor: “Outboard motor, electric motor, etc.” And it’s usually assumed to be one contained unit. A “steam motor” is a small contained unit that burns coal and produces movement. A “steam engine” would be larger and integrated into whatever it is powering.
The words are almost interchangeable, where all motors are engines, but not all engines are motors.
There’s no real difference. They have different connotations but can be used interchangeably. Even MIT doesn’t make a distinction:
https://engineering.mit.edu/engage/ask-an-engineer/whats-the-difference-between-a-motor-and-an-engine/
An engine does work and a motor produces kinetic energy.
Motors have to do with creating movement, so muscles are motors.
Engines do things, so the CPU of a computer is an engine, even though it has no moving parts.
In most common uses of the words, they are interchangeable though, as usually people use them to refer to a machine that produces motion.
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Mostly equiv nowadays but engine is supposed to use a fuel to translate to motion. Motor translates one type of energy to motion. Gasoline engine, steam engine. Electric motor, pneumatic/hydraulic motor.
The main difference is the power source.
Generally speaking:
A motor **receives** power from an external source.
* an electric car has a **motor** because the source of power is from batteries. The power is stored in the batteries.
An engine **produces** its own power.
* a car that uses fuel has an **engine**. The fuel itself is not power; the engine has to convert the fuel into power through the combustion cycle.
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