Posted by Matt Wilson on Monday, February 05, 2001 at 0:10AM :
In Reply to: Re: engine or motor ? posted by Allen Patnode on Sunday, February 04, 2001 at 8:22PM :
I got into a discussion over this with a well-respected mechanical engineering professor one time. I asked him how it could be wrong to refer to an internal combustion engine as a motor, when Ford is called Ford Motor Company, GM is General Motors, Nissan is called Nissan Motor Co., etc. He said flat-out that, despite the use of the word "motor" by these companies, it is actually incorrect, because a motor operates using electricity and an engine operates using some type of combustible fuel. Some early car companies tinkered with electric motors, but I don't think this is the reason any of them put the word "motor" in their company names. As far as I know, Henry Ford never tinkered with electrics in his early days.
Interesting....
Matt
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