Lesson: Heat Engines

What is the efficiency of a heat engine that has constant reservoir temperatures of and ? Answer to three significant figures.

The graph shows the relationship between the loss of the internal energy of the high-temperature reservoir of a heat engine and the gain in internal energy of the heat engine’s low-temperature reservoir for different values of , the ratio of the temperatures of the reservoirs. Which is the greatest temperature ratio?

A heat engine is represented in the diagram, showing the quantities associated with its operation. Which of the following formulas most correctly represents the relationship between , , and ?