Question

An inventor is applying for a patent. He claims his new heat engine can produce 1,200 J of work

for every 1,800 J of heat applied to it. In 3-5 sentences, evaluate this claim after solving for η (4 points)

Answer 1

To evaluate this claim, we need to calculate the efficiency (η) of the heat engine. Efficiency is defined as the ratio of the work output to the heat input. In this case, the inventor claims the heat engine can produce 1,200 J of work for every 1,800 J of heat applied, so the efficiency would be 1,200 J / 1,800 J = 0.67 or 67%. This means that 67% of the heat energy input is converted into useful work output, which is a relatively high efficiency for a heat engine. This suggests that the inventor's claim is plausible and the heat engine may indeed be a significant improvement over existing technologies.