A great deal of effort, time, and money has been spent in the quest for the so-called perpetual-motion machine, which is defined as a hypothetical machine that operates or produces useful work indefinitely and/or a hypothetical machine that produces more work or energy than it consumes.

Cristal Travis

Cristal Travis

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2022-08-22

A great deal of effort, time, and money has been spent in the quest for the so-called perpetual-motion machine, which is defined as a hypothetical machine that operates or produces useful work indefinitely and/or a hypothetical machine that produces more work or energy than it consumes. Explain, in terms of heat engines and the first law of thermodynamics, why or why not such a machine is likely to be constructed.

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Beginner2022-08-23Added 6 answers

According to the first law of thermodynamics,
E int = Q W
We know that a work is done by the system when W>0 and a work is done on a system when W<0.
\
Now, a machine that performs a work forever reflects a machine with infinite internal energy. Since, it is not possible for a machine to have infinite internal energy, a machine that works for ever is not possible.

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