Physics

Carnot Efficiency

Maximum efficiency of a heat engine.

Formula

Formula
η = 1 − T_cT_h

Variables

SymbolDefinitionType & rangeUnitsRole
T_c cold reservoir (K) real number (ℝ) K input
T_h hot reservoir (K) real number (ℝ) K input

Try it yourself

Interactive calculator
Result

Worked examples

Example 1
Givencold T (K) = 300, hot T (K) = 600
Result50
Example 2
Givencold T (K) = 290, hot T (K) = 500
Result42