Carnot cycle
The Carnot cycle is a theoretical model that helps us understand how heat engines work efficiently. It involves four stages: heating a gas, using that gas to do work (like moving a piston), letting the gas cool down, and compressing it back to its original state. This cycle is significant because it sets the maximum possible efficiency a heat engine can achieve. By demonstrating that no engine can be more efficient than a Carnot engine operating between two temperature reservoirs, it establishes a standard for evaluating real-world engines.
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The Carnot Cycle is a theoretical model that describes how heat engines operate to convert heat into work. It consists of four stages: two isothermal processes where heat is absorbed and released, and two adiabatic processes where the gas is compressed and expanded without heat transfer. The cycle demonstrates the maximum efficiency a heat engine can achieve, which is determined by the temperatures of the hot and cold reservoirs it operates between. The Carnot Cycle sets an ideal benchmark for real engines, highlighting the importance of temperature differences in energy conversion.