"Maxprop" wrote
| An explosion is nothing more than an extremely rapid burn.

Ellen MacArthur wrote:
Not quite right (I think).

Yes, it is right.

Here's how I understand it. A burn starts at one end
of the cylinder near the spark plug and goes down towards the top of the piston.
It expands evenly and pushes the piston down. An explosion starts somewhere in
the middle of the fuel/air and pushes outwards really fast in all directions.

Why would an explosion start in a different place? It
originates at the spark plug, doesn't it?

It
wastes energy and is too fast so it knocks against the piston and sometimes can
even blow off a head gasket.

Yes, that's also right.

An explosion isn't really a burn.


Yes it is. Both in the context of internal combustion, and
other circumstances. Dynamite, for example, is a highly
combustible substance that burns very very rapidly.

DSK