[net.physics] space heaters ARE 100% efficient

mwg@petrus.UUCP (Mark Garrett) (07/25/85)

++
> Ahem , forgive me if i'm wrong but if I remember my thermodynamics
> correctly ( and I will undoubtedly be corrected if wrong ) surely
> a little thing called entropy prevents ANY transfer of energy from
> being 100% efficient.

Sorry to do this, but yes, you blew it!  You can have 100% efficient
energy transfer if you degrade the energy into a less useful form
(to put it colloquially).  Energy which is wasted in a transfer is usually
turned into heat, which is a pretty low-grade form of energy.  If you
are heating a room, you can convert all the energy from your source.
-Mark