Science

[oarsman]

Expressed as a percentage, what is the efficiency of a Carnot engine which takes in heat at 600 degrees Kelvin and gives it out at 300 degrees Kelvin?

[pandabear]

well I am no scientist, but seems to be 50%

In 1824 Sadi Carnot's interest in improving the performance of steam engines led him to think about the efficiency of a heat engine in a new and fundamental way. He concluded that the maximum efficiency of a heat engine that absorbs heat from a reservoir at a given temperature, T2, and rejects heat to another reservoir at a lower temperature, T1, is η = 1 - T1/T2.

so max efficiency is 1 minus 300/600 = 1/2 ie 50%