Final answer:
Nitrous oxide injection adds oxygen to the engine, allowing it to burn more fuel efficiently due to its higher oxygen content compared to air.
Step-by-step explanation:
Nitrous oxide injection adds oxygen allowing the engine to burn more fuel. In automotive applications, nitrous oxide (N₂O) is utilized primarily for its oxygen content. When heated, N₂O decomposes into nitrogen and oxygen, providing a higher oxygen concentration than air to the combustion chamber. This increased oxygen availability supports the combustion of more fuel, thus enhancing the engine's power output. Nitrous oxide is also known as a powerful oxidizing agent and supports combustion better than air due to the one-third oxygen content it releases upon decomposition, compared to air which contains approximately one-fifth oxygen.