A Simpler Explanation Of The Measurement Of ONE HORSE POWER
One horsepower equals 550 foot pounds (pound feet) per second. In high school, in physics class, I generated 1 horsepower by running up a flight of stairs. :) Housted
Forum Discussion
wnjj wrote:
There are inertia dynos that measure HP by measuring the acceleration of a heavy drum that the drive wheels turn. Math determines the HP that was required to change the drum’s RPM from speed X to Y. Similarly you could measure electrical watts by heating a measured amount of water to a measured temperature change over time. Now a typical watt meter does what you suggest which is voltage and current.
Inertia dynos record RPM and derive power from the rpm change over time. They only measure RPM and time and then you have the known constant of the drum mass.
Measuring watts using heating is a similar issue, you are measuring temperature and time along with the known amount of water and deriving power.
The point is while power is whats important for getting anything done, its always derived from its components which are measured. Those components can be exchange through devices like transmissions while power cannot.
