what is a horse power ?

Question

In physical terms
not in computer

okey
power to move 550 lbs to one foot in one Sec
Is it vertically or horizontally ?
ie against gravity or not?
could you put that in Metric terms ?

Answer 1

Horsepower(hp): measeurement of an ability to do work usaully an engine one horsepower is defined as the ability to move 33000 pounds one foot in one minute

Answer 2

The original term "horse power" came about when the first "horseless" carriages hit the market. It was invented to gage or judge an engine on how much power it could do based on a fimiliar standard at the time which was how much power a horse could do. Thus the term "horse power" was invented. For example if an engine could move a load (weight) that a single standard horse could do then it was said to have "1 horse power". If it could do the work that would take 6 horse to do as in a large passenger carriage then it was said to put out "6 horse power" As this became more common place the government scientist were pushed to come up with a more exacting measurement rather then just a generalized guide line since not every horse had the "exact" same amount of strength and the automotive market was booming and becoming more and more competitive. At which point they came up with the standard rule of thumb:
Horsepower - A unit of power in the U.S. Customary System, equal to 745.7 watts or 33,000 foot-pounds per minute. The power exerted by a horse in pulling.

Answer 3

Horsepower is an "imaginary" number calculated from a torque rating.

For practical purposes, manufacturers and tuners used dynamometers (dynos) to figure out a car's horsepower rating. A dyno calculates an engine's (at the flywheel) or vehicle's (at the wheels) torque rating and then calculates horsepower with the following equation:

HP = torque x rpm /5252

Looking at the equation lets you know of the relationship between torque, rpms, and horsepower. Smaller engines typically produce less torque which requires more revs (ie VTEC) to make the same horsepower figures as a larger engine that doesn't rev as much. (ie 302 V8)

Answer 4

A unit of measurement.

Dictionary

horse·pow·er (hôrs'pouər)
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noun: pl., -power.
A unit of power in the U.S. Customary System, equal to 745.7 watts or 33,000 foot-pounds per minute.