Hit and Miss

Some time ago now I visited an antique steam and gas engine show. The older gasoline engines sounded a bit odd as they didn't fire all the time. Instead they'd miss, a lot. This was by design. I'd wondered about them from time to time, but tonight I wondered about them and consulted the oracle that is Google and got some answers.

This page, despite a few typos and misspellings, does a good job of explaining just how a hit and miss engine works. It also is one of those rare places where the animated GIF is a useful tool rather than an annoying distraction.