The steam engine is a device that can convert potential
energy from the pressure of steam, and convert it into mechanical force. Some
of the earliest examples are the locomotive, and the steamship. They relied on
this force for movement.
The industrial revolution was influenced by this steam
engine. The reason the automobile industry decided not to use the steam engine,
was because it took thirty seconds or so to produce the pressure needed to
provide enough force to move the vehicle.
The first steam powered device was invented in 300BC by a
Greek hero of Alexandria.
It
was only used to power a toy. The first practical steam engine was patented by
James Watt in 1769. Most steam engines are of the reciprocal piston or turbine
type. The advantage of the steam engine is its ability to produce mechanical
work with out being particular about its heat source. The steam engine is able
to burn its fuel very efficiently, clean, and with very little pollution.
This could have
been what one of the first combustion engines may have looked like. It could be
used to power many different kinds of equipment.
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