What is an example of the first and second law of thermodynamics?

1 Answer
May 28, 2015

I would use this one:

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In it you can see the first law in action when you change the internal energy of water, heating it, and use it to do work (basically in a piston).

You can also see from the top of it the second law in action...yep....hot smoke is coming out! Some of the heat we used to produce work went off in the atmosphere so my engine, operating in a cycle, produced a side effect in transforming heat into work...I also cannot use this heat any more, it is degraded into a "not available" energy... Entropy!