Heat Engine Cycle

A heat engine is a device that does work by extracting thermal energy from a hot reservoir and exhausting thermal energy to a cold reservoir. In this experiment, the heat engine consists of air inside a cylinder which expands when the attached can is immersed in hot water. The expanding air pushes on a piston and does work by lifting a weight. The heat engine cycle is completed by immersing the can in cold water, which returns the air pressure and volume to the starting values.

Grade Level: College

Subject: Physics

Student Files

	Heat Engine Cycle	1.61 MB
	Heat Engine Cycle	3.57 MB
	Heat Engine Cycle	415.82 KB

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Heat Engine Cycles Experiment

Measure the efficiency of a real heat engine and compare it to the efficiency of an ideal heat engine.

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Source Collection: Lab #09