Almost exactly 200 years ago, French physicist Sadi Carnot determined the maximum efficiency of heat engines. The Carnot ...

For two centuries, students have learned that heat flows and engines work according to rigid limits that no machine can beat.

In 1813, Napoleon's failed campaign against Russia led to a coup d'état in Paris, France. Prussia and Austria then invaded France. Among the troops guarding Paris at the time was Sadie Carnot.

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