EPISODE PREVIEW
Industrial and political revolutions altered concepts of power during the 18th century Dr. Bronowski shows why these developments were as significant as the Renaissance in our progress.
© 1974, British Broadcasting Company
Sadi Carnot (1796-1832), sometimes referred to as the father of thermodynamics, found a way to calculate the maximum possible efficiency of heat engines, assuming all wasting of energy (like friction, loss to heat to surroundings, etc) could be eliminated. He found that maximum efficiency depended only on the difference in temperature between two reservoirs between which heat could flow. This allowed efficiency of engine designs to be compared with an absolute standard, and thus with each other.
Stirling Engines
Carnot's work raises the question of how to design an engine that can run on the smallest possible temperature difference. One attempt at this goal is the Stirling engine. The engine shown in this video is running on the temperature difference between my hand and room temperature.
