22,449
edits
Difference between revisions of "Horsepower"
Jump to navigation
Jump to search
→History of the term "horsepower"
| Line 182: | Line 182: | ||
''Engineering in History'' recounts that John Smeaton initially estimated that a horse could produce 22,916 foot-pounds per minute. John Desaguliers increased that to 27,500 foot-pounds per minute. "Watt found by experiment in 1782 that a 'brewery horse' was able to produce 32,400 foot-pounds per minute". James Watt and Matthew Boulton standardized that figure at 33,000 the next year[http://print.google.com/print?id=AVn_Sm56OCoC&pg=171&lpg=171&dq=smeaton&sig=6N_TJXrLqwQI-Fm7mU9ebKS1djA]. | ''Engineering in History'' recounts that John Smeaton initially estimated that a horse could produce 22,916 foot-pounds per minute. John Desaguliers increased that to 27,500 foot-pounds per minute. "Watt found by experiment in 1782 that a 'brewery horse' was able to produce 32,400 foot-pounds per minute". James Watt and Matthew Boulton standardized that figure at 33,000 the next year[http://print.google.com/print?id=AVn_Sm56OCoC&pg=171&lpg=171&dq=smeaton&sig=6N_TJXrLqwQI-Fm7mU9ebKS1djA]. | ||
Put into perspective, a healthy human can produce about 1.2hp briefly | Put into perspective, a healthy human can produce about 1.2hp briefly and sustain about 0.1hp indefinitely, and trained athletes can manage up to about 0.3 horsepower for a period of several hours. | ||
Most observers familiar with horses and their capabilities estimate that Watt was either a bit optimistic or intended to underpromise and overdeliver; few horses can maintain that effort for long. Regardless, comparison to a horse proved to be an enduring marketing tool. | Most observers familiar with horses and their capabilities estimate that Watt was either a bit optimistic or intended to underpromise and overdeliver; few horses can maintain that effort for long. Regardless, comparison to a horse proved to be an enduring marketing tool. | ||