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If a machine is never 100% efficient transforming energy into work because part of the energy is converted into heat, does it mean an electric heater is 100% efficient? [@showerthoughts@lemmy.world](h (social.graves.cl)
submitted 10 months ago by alvaro@social.graves.cl to c/showerthoughts@lemmy.world
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If a machine is never 100% efficient transforming energy into work because part of the energy is converted into heat, does it mean an electric heater is 100% efficient? @showerthoughts@lemmy.world

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[-] fubbernuckin@lemmy.world 42 points 10 months ago

I mean if you want to go that route, we could just say that every speaker, light source, motor, etc is 100% efficient at generating heat because all of its energy output will eventually become heat.

[-] xigoi 42 points 10 months ago

That is also completely true, but meaningless because heat generation is not the purpose of these devices. However, if you use them in a building heated by a thermostat-controlled electric heater, you’re effectivhly running them for free.

[-] Xatix@lemmy.world 14 points 10 months ago

I‘m was using two old servers with folding@home running as space heaters in the winter. I got them for dirt cheap and thought if I convert electricity into heat, I might as well do something good with it. Also nice opportunity to run a minecraft server for the kids during that time.

[-] Xatix@lemmy.world 1 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago)

I‘m was using two old servers with folding@home running as space heaters in the winter. I got them for dirt cheap and thought if I convert electricity into heat, I might as well do something good with it. Also nice opportunity to run a minecraft server for the kids during that time.

[-] entropicdrift 4 points 10 months ago

You double-posted this comment, FYI

[-] Techranger@infosec.pub 8 points 10 months ago

One for each server.

[-] OutlierBlue@lemmy.ca 7 points 10 months ago

It's still efficient because both those comments will end up as heat anyway.

[-] PeterPoopshit@lemmy.world 3 points 10 months ago

Energy can neither be created nor destroyed so in the grand scheme of things, everything is 100% energy efficient one way or another.

[-] vynlwombat@lemmy.world 1 points 10 months ago

I suggest we submit proposals to define "100%" and "efficient" before we design the experiment

this post was submitted on 17 Feb 2024
248 points (97.3% liked)

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