Is a lighter effective because it’s on fire? Or just because it’s hot?

If you made a lighter that was just as hot as another lighter, would it work just as well even if it had no fire?

  • honeyontoast@lemmy.world
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    10 months ago

    Cars have (or had, I don’t know if they’re still included) an electric lighter that you pushed in to heat up. It was basically a little metal ring that got really hot. So I think it probably is the heat.

    I remember my friend also had a plasma lighter, that unsurprisingly used plasma to light things. It made a really scary noise in the wind and hurt like a motherfucker to touch. We were 18 and dumb.

    • DebatableRaccoon
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      10 months ago

      It’s the heat and no, cars don’t come with lighters anymore. The power sockets are still there but they even come with warning labels to not try use a lighter in them. No idea what happens if you try.

      • wiccan2@lemmy.world
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        10 months ago

        My car seems to be from the transition period, it has a lighter but no ash trays in the front, only in the back.

        I guess it’s fine for the kids to smoke while watching the in built DVD players but not the driver and front passenger /s

        • XeroxCool@lemmy.world
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          10 months ago

          There may have been an accessory package available that gave you a cup-shaped ashtray to put in the cupholder