Question

How does a lighter produce a spark?

Answer 1

Disposable or refillable?

When you turn the steel wheel on a disposable lighter with your thumb, the wheel grinds against a metal called ferrocerium; the resulting friction produces a spark.

A nicer, push-button lighter - the refillable kind - uses quartz. When you push the button, a tiny "hammer" is drawn back and then released, striking a crystal of quartz. The quartz immediately produces a flash of electricity - and there's your spark.