Question

The steam engine works on the principle of
A. Newton’s law of motion
B. Faraday's laws of electromagnetic induction
C. Laws of thermodynamics
D. Bernoulli’s principle in fluid dynamics

Answer 1

Hint: Steam engine is an engine which works using steam as it works on the working fluid. The first recorded steam-powered engine was the aeolipile by Hero of Alexandria, a mathematician and engineer in Roman Egypt.

Complete answer:
When we are talking about working on a steam-engine. Steam-engine uses the force produced by the steam pressure to move a piston inside a cylinder. This force is transformed, by the help of a connecting rods and flywheel, into a rotational force for work. The term "steam engine" is generally applied only to reciprocating engines as just described, not to the steam turbine.

An ideal thermodynamic cycle used to analyze the process of the steam engine is called the Rankine cycle.
The Rankine cycle is a setup (model) that is used to predict the performance of steam turbine setup. It was also used for the study purpose of the performance of reciprocating steam engines.

Steam engine can either be referred to as a complete steam plant such as railway steam locomotive and portable engine, or may be referred to as the turbine machinery alone, as in the stationary steam engine and beam engine.
So it is clear that the steam engine works on the principle of Laws of thermodynamics.

So, the correct answer is “Option C”.

Note:
The first commercial steam-powered device was a water pump known as Pumping engines, developed in 1698 by Thomas Savery. The steam engine works by using condensing steam which is used to create a vacuum and raise water from below and then use the pressure (steam pressure) to raise it higher. Small engines were more effective and efficient as compared to the larger modals.