A heat engine operating between a pair of hot and cold reservoirs with respective temperatures of 500 K and 200 K will have what maximum efficiency?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The maximum efficiency of a heat engine is given by the Carnot efficiency, which is equal to 1 - (T_c / T_h), where T_c is the temperature of the cold reservoir and T_h is the temperature of the hot reservoir. In this case, T_c = 200 K and T_h = 500 K, so the maximum efficiency is 1 - (200 K / 500 K) = 0.6, or 60%.

A Heat Engine Operating Between a Pair of Hot and Cold