The Carnot cycle can be represented on a graph of pressure against volume (a p-V diagram) as shown below.

(The numbers in brackets below refer to the diagrams in the Carnot cycle.)

The product of pressure and volume represents a quantity of work (see the section “Work Done During a Change of Volume of a Gas”). This is represented by the area below a p-V curve.

Therefore, the area enclosed by the four curves represents the net work done by the engine during one cycle.

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