Automobiles are four wheeled vehicles that run on their own power and do not need horses or other means of external power to move. They are a popular form of transportation worldwide.
The term automobile is sometimes used informally to refer to a motor vehicle with four wheels, an internal combustion engine, and a transmission that sends energy from the engine to the wheels to make them turn. The word “automobile” comes from the Greek prefix “auto,” meaning self-moving, and the Latin word for movement, “mobilis.”
Types of Cars
There are many types of cars. Some are designed to transport a person or several people, while others are large trucks that carry goods or other materials. There are also special automobiles, such as emergency vehicles that are used to rescue people in a fire or accident.
Invention of the Automobile
The invention of the automobile was one of the most important events in the 20th century. It changed lives, opened up new ways to work and live, and connected people in ways that were never possible before.
A modern automobile is a complex technical system that employs a number of subsystems with specific design functions, some of which consist of thousands of component parts. These parts evolved from existing technology or were invented as a result of new technological development such as electronic computers, high-strength plastics, and new alloys of steel and nonferrous metals.
The scientific and technical building blocks of the automobile date back to several hundred years. In the late 1600s, Dutch scientist Christiaan Huygens invented a type of internal combustion engine sparked by gunpowder. This was the first step in the creation of a horseless carriage that would eventually become the modern automobile.