Steam engine
Topic: The Age of Industrialisation · NCERT: Class 10, Ch 4 "The Age of Industrialisation"
Meaning
A steam engine is a machine that turns the force of steam into motion. Thomas Newcomen built an early version, mainly to pump water out of mines. James Watt improved Newcomen's engine and patented his version in 1781. His industrialist friend Mathew Boulton manufactured it. For years, however, few people bought it, because new machines were costly, broke down often and were expensive to repair. This shows that technological change in Britain was slow.
Example
At the start of the 19th century, all of England had no more than 321 steam engines. Of these, 80 were in cotton industries and 9 in wool. The rest were in mining, canal works and ironworks.
Don't confuse with
- Steam locomotive: an engine mounted on wheels to pull trains, built by engineers such as George Stephenson. Watt's engine was a stationary engine.