Everyday Objects
Fire in One Click
One press lets out butane and fires a tiny hammer into a crystal. The spark comes from the squeeze.
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Everyday Objects
How a Push-Button Lighter Makes Fire
A push-button lighter stores butane as a liquid under its own pressure. Pressing the button opens a valve, so butane escapes and boils into gas. The same press loads and releases a spring-loaded hammer that strikes a piezoelectric crystal, which turns the blow into a high voltage. A spark jumps a small gap in the gas stream and lights it.
Transcript
Click. Fire. No match, no battery. How? Let's cut it open. The tank holds butane. Out here, it boils at about 0 degrees. Press the button: a valve lets it out, and it boils into gas. The same push snaps a tiny hammer onto a crystal. Struck that hard, the crystal fires a spark. Gas meets spark. Click.
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