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Question

Difficulty: EasyIgnition System

Which component in an automotive ignition system is responsible for converting the vehicle's low 12-volt battery supply into the tens of thousands of volts needed to create an electric spark?

  1. A
    Alternator
  2. B
    Fuel injector
  3. Ignition coilAnswer
  4. D
    Starter motor

Answer

Ignition coil
The ignition coil serves as a step-up pulse transformer in the ignition circuit. It receives standard 12-volt direct current from the vehicle electrical system and, through electromagnetic induction caused by the rapid collapse of its primary magnetic field, steps that voltage up to the 20,000 to 50,000+ volts required to jump the spark plug gap and ignite the compressed air-fuel mixture.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the high-voltage requirement of an internal combustion engine's ignition system.
Standard automotive batteries provide approximately 12 volts, but creating an electrical arc across the spark plug gap requires 20,000 to 50,000 volts.
Air and compressed air-fuel mixtures have high electrical resistance and require high secondary voltage for ionization.
2
Identify the component designed to perform this step-up voltage transformation.
The ignition coil uses primary and secondary windings around an iron core to step up low direct current voltage via electromagnetic induction.
When primary current flow is interrupted, the rapid collapse of its magnetic field induces high voltage in the secondary winding.

Key Concept

Ignition coil step-up transformation
Estimated Time:45s
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Topics

Ignition System

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