The operation of the minimal Carnot engine is discussed. It is demonstrated that its efficiency is given by the traditional Carnot expression when the motion of the gas particles is temporally averaged (instead of the usual spatial averaging). The impact of the heat capacity of the apparatus elements on the efficiency is considered, and the influence of temperature fluctuations on the engine operation is considered. The parameters of the minimal Carnot engine are calculated.
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2007
American Association of Physics Teachers
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