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Book 27, Question 103

How does a click-on barbecue lighter make a spark?

When you push the button on some lighters, a spring-loaded hammer snaps against a small piezoelectric crystal.

The sudden squeeze makes a high voltage that jumps across a tiny gap as a spark, lighting the gas. No battery is needed. These lighters and stove igniters are for grown-ups only, since they start fires.

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