A heat engine is a system that converts thermal energy into mechanical work by exploiting the temperature difference between a hot and a cold reservoir. It operates on the principle of the second law of thermodynamics, where part of the absorbed heat is converted to work and the rest is expelled to the cold reservoir.

Heat Engine

heat engine

Thermal energy is the internal energy present in a system due to the random motions of its particles, often associated with temperature and heat transfer. It plays a crucial role in thermodynamics, influencing how energy is transferred and transformed in physical processes.

thermal energy

Mechanical work is the energy transferred to or from an object via the application of force along a displacement. It is a scalar quantity and is calculated as the product of the force component along the direction of displacement and the magnitude of the displacement itself.

mechanical work

Temperature difference refers to the variation in thermal energy between two points, which can drive heat transfer from the warmer to the cooler area. This principle is fundamental in thermodynamics, influencing processes such as conduction, convection, and radiation, and is crucial in applications ranging from weather systems to industrial heat exchangers.

temperature difference

Hot and cold reservoir

The second law of thermodynamics states that in any natural thermodynamic process, the total entropy of a system and its surroundings always increases over time, leading to the concept of irreversibility. This law explains why energy transformations are not 100% efficient and why systems naturally progress towards thermal equilibrium, where entropy is maximized.

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