A heat engine consists of the following four step cyclic process. During step 1, 2.00 mol of a diatomic ideal gas at a temperature of 325 K are compressed isothermally to one-eighth of the original volume. In step 2, the temperature of the gas is increased to 985 K by an isochoric process. During step 3, the gas expands isothermally back to its original volume. Finally, in step 4, an isochoric process takes the gas back to its original temperature.
(a) Sketch a qualitative PV diagram, showing the four steps in this cycle.
(b) Make a table showing the values of W, Q, and Δ U for each of the four steps and the totals for one cycle of this process.
(c) What is the efficiency of this engine?
(d) What would be the efficiency of a Carnot engine operating at the same extreme temperatures?