Enter the initial thermal energy (J) and the final thermal energy (J) into the calculator to determine the Heat Engine Work. 

Heat Engine Work Formula

The following formula is used to calculate the Heat Engine Work. 

Whe = Q1 – Q2

  • Where Whe is the Heat Engine Work (J)
  • Q1 is the initial thermal energy (J) 
  • Q2 is the final thermal energy (J) 

How to Calculate Heat Engine Work?

The following two example problems outline how to calculate the Heat Engine Work.

Example Problem #1:

  1. First, determine the initial thermal energy (J). In this example, the initial thermal energy (J) is given as 70.
  2. Next, determine the final thermal energy (J). For this problem, the final thermal energy (J) is given as 30.
  3. Finally, calculate the Heat Engine Work using the equation above: 

Whe = Q1 – Q2

Inserting the values from above and solving the equation with the imputed values gives: 

Whe = 70 – 30 = 40 (J)

Example Problem #2: 

Using the same process as above, first define the variables required by the formula. In this case, these values are:

initial thermal energy (J) = 90

final thermal energy (J) = 13

Entering these values yields:

Whe = 90 – 13 = 77 (J)