Final answer:
A carburetor or fuel injection system provides the required air-fuel mixture to an engine's combustion chamber, aligning with engine operating conditions. The process involves intake, compression, power, and exhaust strokes in a four-stroke internal combustion engine.
Step-by-step explanation:
A carburetor or fuel injection system is an engine component that provides the required air-fuel mixture to the combustion chamber based on engine operating speed and load. The carburetor uses the principle of entrainment, while modern vehicles typically use electronic fuel injection systems for this purpose.
In four-stroke internal combustion engines, the process involves several steps:
- Intake stroke: Air is mixed with fuel.
- Compression stroke: The mixture is compressed in a nearly adiabatic process.
- Power stroke: The air-fuel mixture is ignited, converting chemical potential energy into thermal energy.
- Exhaust stroke: Expels the hot gas to prepare for the next cycle.
In diesel engines, the air is compressed to a high temperature during the compression stroke, and fuel is injected into the chamber, igniting without a spark plug due to the high temperature.