The device shown in Fig.2, called a thermoelectric converter, uses a series of semiconductor semiconductor cells to transform internal energy into electrical energy. In the photograph on the left the two legs of the device are at the same temperature and no electrical energy is produced. At However, when one leg is at a higher temperature than the other, as shown in Figure on the right, electrical energy is produced as the device extracts energy from the hot and drives a small electric motor. a. Why is a temperature difference necessary to produce electrical energy in this demonstration? b. In what sense does this intriguing experiment demonstrate the second law of thermodynamics?
The device shown in Fig.2, called a thermoelectric converter, uses a series of semiconductor
semiconductor cells to transform internal energy into electrical energy. In the photograph on the left
the two legs of the device are at the same temperature and no electrical energy is produced. At
However, when one leg is at a higher temperature than the other, as shown in Figure
on the right, electrical energy is produced as the device extracts energy from the hot
and drives a small electric motor.
a. Why is a temperature difference necessary to produce electrical energy in this demonstration?
b. In what sense does this intriguing experiment demonstrate the second law of
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