Chapter 15: 15Q (page 412)
Question:The first law of thermodynamics is sometimes whimsically stated as, 鈥淵ou can鈥檛 get something for nothing,鈥 and the second law as, 鈥淵ou can鈥檛 even break even.鈥 Explain how these statements could be equivalent to the formal statements.
Short Answer
The statement 鈥淵ou can鈥檛 get something for nothing鈥 implies that energy is conserved. The other statement, 鈥淵ou can鈥檛 even break even,鈥 tells us that it is impossible to have a 100% effective heat engine.