3.5 Heat Engines

Energy conversions occurring in an automobile are illustrated below:

Energy Conversions in an Automobile

Any device that converts thermal energy into mechanical energy - such as an automobile or a power plant - is called a heat engine. In these devices, high temperature heat (thermal energy) produced by burning a fuel is partly converted to mechanical energy to do work and the rest is rejected into the atmosphere, typically as a low temperature exhaust.

Instructions: Click the play button to see how a heat engine works.