Question

A cyclical heat engine, operating between temperatures of 450º C and 150º C, produces 4.00 MJ of work on a heat transfer of 5.00 MJ into the engine. How much heat transfer occurs to the environment?

a) 1.00 MJ
b) 2.00 MJ
c) 3.00 MJ
d) 4.00 MJ

Answer 1

The amount of heat transfer to the environment in the cyclical heat engine is 1.00 MJ.

Step-by-step explanation:

In order to calculate the heat transfer to the environment, we need to calculate the net work done by the engine. The net work is obtained by subtracting the heat transfer into the engine from the work output of the engine. In this case, the work output is 4.00 MJ and the heat transfer into the engine is 5.00 MJ. Therefore, the net work done by the engine is -1.00 MJ.

The negative sign indicates that 1.00 MJ of work is done on the engine by an external agent. This means that 1.00 MJ of heat transfer occurs from the engine to the environment, as the engine cannot perform work on itself. Therefore, the amount of heat transfer to the environment is 1.00 MJ.