Factors that affect the rate at which candle wax melts

Acoal-fired plant generates 600 mw of electric power. the plant uses 4.8 x 10^6 kg of coal each day, and the heat of combustion of coal is 3.3x 10^7 j/kg. the steam that drives the turbines is at a temperature of 300° c, and the exhaust water is at 37° c. (a) what is the overall efficiency of the plant for generating electric power? (b) how much thermal energy is exhausted each day? (c) what is the change in entropy of the universe for this heat engine? (d) using the same heat reservoirs, what is the maximum possible (carnot) efficiency for a heat engine?

Why is the use of carbon-14 limited

Uranium has two naturally occurring isotopes. 238u has a natural abundance of 99.3% and 235u has an abundance of 0.7%. it is the rarer 235u that is needed for nuclear reactors. the isotopes are separated by forming uranium hexafluoride uf6, which is a gas, then allowing it to diffuse through a series of porous membranes. 235uf6 has a slightly larger rms speed than 238uf6 and diffuses slightly faster. many repetitions of this procedure gradually separate the two isotopes. what is the ratio of the rms speed of 235uf6 to that of 238uf6? express your answer to five significant figures.