Horsepower

Horsepower

Horsepower (pronunciation: /ˈhɔːrspaʊər/) is a unit of measurement of power, or the rate at which work is done or energy is transferred. The term was adopted in the late 18th century by Scottish engineer James Watt to compare the output of steam engines with the power of draft horses.

Etymology

The term "horsepower" was invented by James Watt, who is also known for his work on improving the steam engine. The story goes that Watt was working with ponies lifting coal at a coal mine, and he wanted a way to talk about the power available from one of these animals. He found that, on average, a mine pony could do 22,000 foot-pounds of work in a minute. He then increased that number by 50 percent and pegged the measurement of horsepower at 33,000 foot-pounds of work in one minute.

Types of Horsepower

There are several different types of horsepower:

• Mechanical horsepower
• Metric horsepower
• Electrical horsepower
• Boiler horsepower
• Hydraulic horsepower

Each of these types of horsepower are used in different contexts and have slightly different definitions, but all are measures of power.

Related Terms

• Power (physics)
• Work (physics)
• Energy
• Engine
• Steam engine
• James Watt

See Also

• Foot-pound (energy)
• Torque
• Kilowatt

External links

• Medical encyclopedia article on Horsepower
• Wikipedia's article - Horsepower

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