Steam engine
From the Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia that anyone can change
A Steam engine is an engine which uses steam power to operate. It can convert the energy present in heat (of water steam usually) into mechanical work. Steam engines were used on locomotives or steam boats, but also in factories to move pumps. They were the prime moving force behind the Industrial Revolution. A piston-operated steam engine is called reciprocal (back-and-forth) engine.
The steam to power a steam engine is made in a boiler. Water in the boiler is heated to make steam. The steam coming out of the boiler applies the force on a piston or turbine blade. Movement of the piston or the turbine blade is then used to turn wheels or drive other machinery. To boil the water in the boiler, several types of fuels may be used. It may be wood, coal, or oil.
Today almost all steam engines are turbines. They are used on power plants to operate generators which make electricity. Some ships, like large warships, are also powered by steam turbines. The steam engines were invented by MR. James Watt and it was debutated at the period of the industrial revolution, an economic revolution.
 A steam engine in the Deutsches Museum in Munich |
 A steam engine (probably driving an elevator at a mine in Germany |
INDUSTRAL REVOLUTION
Transportation, which is a necessity for everyone today, was revolutionized because of the steam engine. The steam engine allowed people to travel from one place, to another, and start a new life, but also return to their old dwelling to perhaps visit family, to do business, or to do whatever that may be needed. It wasn"t until the early 1800"s that one of the greatest inventions caused by the steam engine was invented, the railroad. Since several entrepreneurs saw that the potential of this was enormous, many entrepreneurial companies were formed to build railroads. The railroad caused an economic boom for many countries. The country that was the most effected by this was Germany. When they started the development of the railroads, they made over 2000 miles of connecting tracks to every part of the country. These railroads caused Belgium, Germany, and France to become the most industrialized Continental powers during the mid-nineteenth century. (Johnson, 33-34) The steam engine allowed the people to travel to almost any destination safely, and at an extremely fast pace. The steam engine used in railways "was like a magic carpet fulfilling people"s hopes for a different future.
