Horsepower

(HP or BHP, British horsepower) A measurement of the engine's ability to perform work, originally developed by James Watt in 1782 to compare the power of steam engines to the work done by a horse. One horsepower is defined as the ability to lift 33,000 pounds one foot in one minute. To find horsepower, the total rate of work in foot pounds accomplished is divided by 33,000. If a machine was lifting 100 pounds 660 feet per minute, its total rate of work would be 66,000 foot pounds per minute. Divide this by 33,000 foot pounds per minute to arrive at 2 horsepower. In metric terms, it is the ability to raise 250 kilograms a distance of 30 centimeters in one second. It is also equal to 745.7 watts (W) or 1.014 metric horsepowers (PS). See brake horsepower, friction horsepower, indicated horsepower, net horsepower, rated horsepower, road load horsepower, SAE gross horsepower, SAE horsepower, SAE net horsepower