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When you turn your key your car starts. This is how.

Electricity from your battery goes to your starter engine. The starter engine is composed of a electric motor and a cylinoid. The cylinoid is used to push out a rod with a sprocket shaped end on it. that meshes with your flywheel. The cylinoid is connected to the starter engine mechanically and cylinoid rod reaches the flywheel, the electric engine turns the rod. The flywheel then turns and since the flywheel is connected to the crank shaft that spins as well. The crank shaft makes the pistons move and turns the distributor. The distributor sends electricity to the spark plugs. The fuel injectors, or carburetor, mix fuel in the air at the same time. When the spark plugs ignite the fuel combustion takes place and the engine has started. By this time you will have released the key, making the cylinoid rod retract. As your crankshaft turns your alternator spins, via the serpentine belt, which restores the battery's charge. Some other things that run off of the belt include power steering pump, engine coolant pump, a/c pump, sometimes the engine fan, and probably some other stuff I forgot but I think that is it. Oh and the valves usually run off of a timing belt or chain. Isn't all that cool? No. Oh well I tried.

What goes on in the distributor?

Before the current of electricity reaches the distributor it goes through a coil which is usually located some where off to the side of the engine. This coil bumbs the voltage from 12 to about 20,000 or more. After going to a larger voltage the current moves into the distributor cap from the top in the center of the cap. If you look for it in the engine just follow all your spark plugs that all congregate at one spot. The center wire is the power input. There is a small piece of metal inside the cap that spins and is sometimes call the distributor rotor. The entire distributor unit is attachted at the bottom to the engine. It runs off of some auxilary gears. When the arm that spins in the distributor, it makes contact with some small pieces of metal that are attached inevitably to the ends of the spark plug wires. When it makes contact the current moves through the cables to the spark plugs and makes the engine fire. After the rotor goes through all the cylinders, the distributor arm goes back to the first wire and continues its cycle in the circle.