Carnot was born into an influential family of soldiers and politicians. He was educated first by his father and later at a preparatory school. He entered the Ecole Polytechnique in 1812, and graduated with a degree in military engineering two years later. While at the Polytechnique, he studied with some of France's greatest scientists, including Siméon-Denis Poisson, Joseph Gay-Lussac, and André Ampère. After a few years of postgraduate work he began service in the army, responsible for inspecting garrisons. This work bored Carnot, and in 1819, he succeeded in securing a position at the office of the general staff in Paris, a position which allowed him the time to pursue his true interest--physics.

In the years leading up to 1824, Carnot spent the bulk of his free time studying the steam engine. Invented some years earlier by James Watt (1736-1819), the steam engine was considered by...