Many engineers disputed Watt’s calculations, but his estimate managed to survive all defies. P=W/t=F x d/t= 10 lbf x 2,4 x π x 2 x 12 feet/1 min=32752 ft.lbf/min.Īnd this is James Watt’s definition of a horsepower, although for practical purposes he rounded the value to 33000 ft. So, Power=Work/time, Work= Force x distance, therefore: A pound-force is defined as the gravitational force that our Earth exerts on a mass of one avoirdupois pound placed on the surface of the planet.Īnd what on Newton’s name is an avoirdupois pound? It is a long story, but for clarity, let us settle with the current definition: an avoirdupois pound is exactly 0.45359237 kilograms. Since dynamometers were still a thing from the future, Watt “estimated” that a typical horse could exert a pulling force of 180 pounds force. The steam engine was created by another Scotsman inventor called Thomas Newcomen, who in 1712 improved an original device made in 1698 by an English mechanical designer called Thomas Savery. Savery invented a steam-powered pump, Newcomen improved it by including a piston, and Watt finally added a separated condenser, improved the piston’s seals, and added a planetary gear system to convert the piston’s linear motion into rotary motion, making the steam-powered engine a fully practical device and therefore starting the Industrial Revolution in one single step. His finances were constantly in bad shape until his death. But what in the name of Carl Benz is a horsepower?Ī horsepower is a power measurement unit created by James Watt, the same Scottish engineer and inventor that, in 1776, dramatically improved the design of the steam engine, obtaining fame but not success. If you do not like to read, I am including a link to Jason’s video at the end.Įvery car enthusiast is familiar with the amount of power his favorite cars’ engines produce as well as their 0 to 100 km/h (0 to 60 mph) times. So, I watched the video and learned a couple of interesting things that I will share. I had asked myself the same question, but I was too lazy to find out. In one of his videos, he explains what a horsepower is and how such a curious measurement unit was created. He is funny in a curious way like he did not want to be funny at all. From there he just needed to see how long it took his steam engine to do the same job.He spends usually 7 to 10 minutes explaining, in a fast and somewhat quirky way, interesting topics that usually are not known to the average video addict. To be more precise in assessing this unit of measure, James Watt has carried out various experiments in order to measure the work performed by a horse for a certain period of time. That is why the horsepower measurement unit was created. Sales did not go well at first, so to help sell the machine it was necessary to equate the work developed by the machine with the work done by a horse. His target audience was precisely the people who used horses to do the heavy work, which would then be done by machines. This "something" was a steam engine and James Watt pioneered the construction of these steam engines. The Horsepower came about when, for the first time in history, people had something like power to use other than animal traction. The name of this power unit is a tribute to the British engineer James Watt, for the recognition of the many researches that he made, to better understand the energy, as well as, the way in which he created machines that obtained a better use of it. To get an idea of how much Watt represents, here are some reference values of the power of some household appliances: stereo, 200 watts vacuum cleaner, 1000 watts computer, 400 watts exhaust fan, 300 watts electric oven, 5000 watts hair dryer, 1300 watts LCD television, 150 watts. This would be the same amount of energy that would make a 120-watt bulb shine for half an hour. For example, if a 60W lamp remains on for one hour, the power consumed is 60 watts-hour.
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