How does the lighter in a BBQ grill work?
A BBQ lighter uses something called piezoelectricity to generate a nice spark that lights the grill. “Piezo,” in Greek, means “pressure,” and you find piezoelectric materials in a number of different places. For example, all of these products depend on the piezoelectric effect: • The push-button igniter in a gas BBQ grill or fireplace • Push-button cigarette lighters • Piezoelectric beepers (common in digital watches and anything electronic that goes “beep”) • Piezoelectric tweeters in stereo speakers • Sound-generating arrays for sonar, fish finders and ultrasound devices • Crystal microphones • Phonograph needles • Quartz crystals used in most digital clocks and timers as the time base Certain crystalline materials (like quartz, Rochelle salt and certain ceram
A BBQ lighter uses something called piezoelectricity to generate a nice spark that lights the grill. “Piezo,” in Greek, means “pressure,” and you find piezoelectric materials in a number of different places. For example, all of these products depend on the piezoelectric effect: • The push-button igniter in a gas BBQ grill or fireplace • Push-button cigarette lighters • Piezoelectric beepers (common in digital watches and anything electronic that goes “beep”) • Piezoelectric tweeters in stereo speakers • Sound-generating arrays for sonar, fish finders and ultrasound devices • Crystal microphones • Phonograph needles • Quartz crystals used in most digital clocks and timers as the time base Certain crystallin
