The purpose of the distributor in a car's ignition system is to route electricity from the ignition coil to the spark plugs. It does this by spinning a rotor inside the distributor cap, which has connections to each of the spark plug wires. As the rotor spins, it makes contact with each connection in turn, sending a spark to the appropriate spark plug and igniting the fuel in the engine's cylinders. The distributor is essentially the control center for the ignition system, ensuring that each spark plug fires at the right time to keep the engine running smoothly. Without a functioning distributor, the engine would not start or run properly.