THE WORK OF SADI CARNOT. 15 



change has been attempted in Carnot's figures, in 

 any respect ; as it would be far less satisfactory to 

 read a paraphrased work, and the exact figures are 

 now easily accessible to every one, and his compu- 

 tations may all be made, if desired, on the basis of 

 modern data. Sir William Thomson has already 

 performed this task in the paper appended. 



Throughout the whole of this treatise, small as 

 it is, we find distributed a singular number of 

 these anticipations of modern thermodynamic 

 principles. Studying the relation of heat-energy 

 to work done, he concludes : 



"La chute du calorique produit plus de puis- 

 sance motrice dans les degres inferieurs que dans 

 Us degres superieurs." 



We to-day admit that, since the one degree at a 

 low temperature, and the corresponding quantity 

 ct heat, are larger fractions of the total tempera- 

 ture, and the total heat stored in the substance, 

 than the one degree at a higher point on the scale 

 of absolute temperature, this principle of Carnot 

 has become obvious. 



In the enunciation of the essential principles of 

 efficiency of the heat-engine, we find the proofs of 

 this same wonderful prescience. He asserts that, 

 for best effect : " (1) The temperature of the 

 working fluid must be raised to the highest degree 



