An automobile engine is about 20 - 30% efficient in converting chemical energy to mechanical energy. Cells are about 39% efficient in the transformation of glucose to ATP. The rest of the energy is lost as heat. This is illustrative of the

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The Second Law of Thermodynamics states that in any energy transfer or transformation, some energy will dissipate as unusable energy, such as heat, increasing the overall entropy of the system. This is exemplified by the fact that both automobile engines and cells are not 100% efficient in converting energy and lose some energy as heat. The First Law of Thermodynamics relates to the conservation of energy, and the Third Law of Thermodynamics relates to the behavior of matter at absolute zero temperature, neither of which are relevant to this scenario. The Cell Theory pertains to the fundamental unit of life being the cell, which is not relevant to the question either.

An Automobile Engine Is About 20 - 30% Efficient in Converting