4 ms·
>> Today, the words are virtually synonymous. Ehhh that's a stretch, unless we're talking Real Housewives type of "lay people". As I understand it (within an
by mp05 2y ago
>> Today, the words are virtually synonymous.
Ehhh that's a stretch, unless we're talking Real Housewives type of "lay people".
As I understand it (within an engineering context), a "motor" converts electrical energy to mechanical energy, and an "engine" takes thermal/chemical/some other form of mechanical energy and outputs mechanical energy. But it's confusing because I've changed the "motor" in my old Honda when I was a teenager. So while I agree there is some nuance and blurry lines, not sure the two words are quite "interchangeable".
- CamperBob2 2y agoIt seems reasonable to say that a motor is something that moves something else, while an engine is also something that moves something else but uses internal moving parts of its own. We can just leave it at that. All engines that involve physical motion are motors, but not all motors are engines. That seems better than making arbitrary distinctions regarding which type of input energy is being transformed into which output type. It would also be compatible with the OED definition mentioned in the article, as well as terminology used in rocketry.
- johnwalkr 2y agoI agree with this but I also wouldn't blink if someone used one or the other term unless there was a specific context where it was important.
- CamperBob2 2y agoYep, pretty pointless hill to die on.
- fuzzfactor 2y agoWouldn't want to anger a mean biker who was a member of a violent enginecycle gang ;)
- SAI_Peregrinus 2y agoDisagree that not all motors are engines, I'd say motor is a subset of engine. An engine drives a process or system, either literally (producing power from some fuel or other energy source) or figuratively (as in Google's search engine). A motor is a type of engine that changes the momentum of some object. This fits every definition I can think of.