GLOSSARY: CYLINDER 

A chamber within an engine which contains a piston and valves. A fuel
and air mixture is first compressed by the piston and then
ignited. The force of this ignited mixture (a controlled explosion)
moves the piston, creating the basic force of the engine (power).


GLOSSARY: DISPLACEMENT 

The volume of a cylinder. The geometric volume is determined by the
diameter of the cylinder and the distance the top of the piston
travels. The displacement of an engine is the total displacement of
all its engine cylinders, usually expressed in liters (L) or cubic
inches (c.i.).
                                               
GLOSSARY: HORSEPOWER 

A measure of mechanical power determined by work and its relations to
time, a direct result of torque and engine speed. According to Lesley
Hazleton the definition of one horsepower is "the amount of energy
required to lift 550 pounds, one foot, in one second." Therefore the
higher the horsepower of the vehicle, the more mass it can move or the
more powerful it is.

GLOSSARY: TRANSMISSION 

A mechanism that includes the gears, linking the power produced by the
engine to the drive wheels.