Carnot Cycle
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Carnot Cycle
With the Carnot Cycle, Carnot was able to show that a heat engine which operated at an ideal, reversible cycle, that was between two energy reservoirs was the most efficient engine possible. Although this is physically not a real engine that can be built, it's ideally the most efficient engine there is and no engine can ever be made more efficent.
1 - 2) This is an isothermal process (constant temperature) in which the gas expands while it is in contact with the hot reservoir
2 - 3) This is an adiabatic process (no energy) in which the gas expands
3 - 4) This is an isothermal process in which the gas is compressed while it is in contact with the cold reservoir
4 - 1) This is an adiabatic process in which the gas is compressed