A combustion reaction occurs when oxygen combines with another compound to form water and carbon dioxide. The fire triangle is a model used to understand what is needed for a fire: fuel, oxygen, and heat. Activation energy is the minimum amount of energy needed for a chemical reaction to occur. A combustion engine generates power through the combustion of fuel within the engine cylinders, with the rapid expansion of combustion gases directly applying force to components like pistons. NASCAR engines differ from street car engines in ways like larger displacement and specialized components that allow them to operate at much higher speeds. The use of nitrous oxide in engines provides more available oxygen during combustion, resulting in increased performance. An example of cheating in NASCAR involved magnets being found under

1. Combustion ReactionsBy Earl Chough

2. What are the different types of chemical reactions?CombustionSynthesisDecompositionSingle displacementDouble displacementAcid-basehttp://misterguch.brinkster.net/6typesofchemicalrxn.htmlhttp://www.personal.kent.edu/~cearley/ChemWrld/balance/H2_O2.gif

3. What is a combustion reaction?A combustion reaction when oxygen combines with another compound to form water and carbon dioxide.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Combustionhttp://www.aerospaceweb.org/question/propulsion/jet/combustion.gif

4. What is the fire triangle The fire triangle is a simple model for understanding the ingredients necessary for most fires.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fire_trianglehttp://www.park.edu/safety/220px-Fire_tetrahedron.svg.png

5. What is activation energy?Activation energy is energy that must be overcome in order for a chemical reaction to occur.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Activation_energyhttp://www.mediabistro.com/agencyspy/original/spark.jpg

6. Why is heat/energy a necessary part of the fire triangle?With out heat the fire cannot start and without energy the fire cannot last long.http://blog.lib.umn.edu/boley011/architecture/flamethrower.jpg

7. How is the cook top of your stove a real life example of a fire triangle?The cook top is a real life example because the igniter lights a spark and that spark lights the gas. The fire is able to keep burning because there is a constant supply of gas that is feeding that fire.http://www.toyhaulersrus.com/superlite/fs/08fs23-stove.jpg

8. What is a combustion engine?The internal combustion engine is an engine in which the combustion of a fuel that occurs with an oxidizer in a combustion chamber.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internal_combustion_enginehttp://www.physics.byu.edu/faculty/rees/360/Four_stroke_cycle_compression.jpg

9. How does a combustion engine work?In an internal combustion engine the expansion of the high temperature and pressure gases, which are produced by the combustion, directly applies force to a movable component of the engine, such as the pistons or turbine blades and by moving it over a distance, generate useful mechanical energy.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internal_combustion_enginehttp://bkachinsky.transworld.net/files/2009/06/internal-combustion-engine1.jpeg

10. How are NASCAR engine different from street car engines that allow them to operate at much higher speeds?The displacement is large -- 358 cubic inches (5.87 liters). Not many cars have engines this big, but the ones that do usually generate well over 300 horsepower.The NASCAR engines have extremely radical cam profiles, which open the intake valves much earlier and keep them open longer than street cars. This allows more air to be packed into the cylinders, especially at high speeds.The intake and exhaust are tuned and tested to provide a boost at certain engine speeds. They are also designed to have very low restriction, and there are no mufflers or catalytic converters to slow the exhaust down either.They have carburetors that can let in huge volumes of air and fuel -- no fuel injectors on these engines.They have high intensity programmable ignition systems so the spark timing can be customized to provide the most possible power.All of the subsystems like coolant pumps, oil pumps, steering pumps and alternators are designed to run at sustained high speeds and temperatures.

11. How does nitrous oxide help engines perform better?When you heat nitrous oxide to about 570 degrees F, it splits into oxygen and nitrogen. So the injection of nitrous oxide into an engine means that more oxygen is available during combustion.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nitric_oxidehttp://www.altecpetroleumgroup.com/images/glossary/nitrous%20oxide.jpg

12. Example of cheating in NASCAR.BROOKLYN, Mich. – J.D. Gibbs’ nostrils flared as he spoke, embarrassment written all over his reddened face and blatant anger coming through crystal clear in his raised voice.As the normally jovial, mild-mannered president of Joe Gibbs Racing addressed the media Sunday morning, the shame of his organization being caught cheating after Saturday’s Nationwide Series race was nothing short of stark for the younger Gibbs.He wasn’t going to try to deny it or point fingers of blame elsewhere. His father’s team was caught with its hand in the cookie jar and there was no reason to sugarcoat it. “This is clearly an intentional opportunity to lead somebody astray,” Gibbs said. “We’re not going to (deny it).”For an organization that prides itself on racing with Christian principles and running a clean, non-cheating ship, much of the NASCAR world is now scoffing at both.NASCAR inspectors found magnets under the gas pedals of JGR’s two entries after Saturday’s Nationwide Series race. An old trick in NASCAR’s cheating annals, magnets are sometimes used to keep the gas pedal from being depressed fully, thus fooling motor dynamometer tests into thinking full horsepower is being expounded in those tests.http://sports.yahoo.com/nascar/news?slug=jb-gibbs081708&prov=yhoo&type=lgnshttp://www.joecannaday.com/images/sportstoons/2007-0218_cheating.gif