Why do manufactures often describe engines in terms of horsepower?

Answer 1

James Watt the famous inventor who first invented the steam engine and lent his name to the term watt in electrical energy, had, in his time, no standard measurement of power energy to work his calculations from. The horse was the predominant method of mobile power, so Watt worked out the maximum capability of a horse, in that, working for one minute, a horse could lift a given weight, a number of feet in that minute, he called this "one horsepower" Because he was working with small pit ponies, he increased his answer by 50 percent, thinking that a large horse would be stronger, and came up with the amount of 33000 ft pounds per minute. Ie, a large horse can lift a weight of 33000 pounds to a height of 1 ft in one minute, or lift a weight of 33 pounds 1000 ft in a minute, or any other combination. Think of the horse using a block and tackle. His calculations stand to this day, imagine the fantastic weight a 2000 horsepower truck engine could lift in one minute today!!

Another Answer

Outside the United States, they don't! In Europe, for example, the power of an automobile engine is expressed in kilowatts.

The horsepower and the watt are simply two ways of expressing exactly the same quantity: power. They can be used interchangeably. Technically, there's nothing wrong with expressing the power of a lamp, a kettle, or a heater in horsepower -if you wished!

Answer 2

James Watt the famous inventor who first invented the steam engine and lent his name to the term watt in electrical energy, had, in his time, no standard measurement of power energy to work his calculations from. The horse was the predominant method of mobile power, so Watt worked out the maximum capability of a horse, in that, working for one minute, a horse could lift a given weight, a number of feet in that minute, he called this "one horsepower" Because he was working with small pit ponies, he increased his answer by 50 percent, thinking that a large horse would be stronger, and came up with the amount of 33000 ft pounds per minute. Ie, a large horse can lift a weight of 33000 pounds to a height of 1 ft in one minute, or lift a weight of 33 pounds 1000 ft in a minute, or any other combination. Think of the horse using a block and tackle. His calculations stand to this day, imagine the fantastic weight a 2000 horsepower truck engine could lift in one minute today!!

Another Answer

Outside the United States, they don't! In Europe, for example, the power of an automobile engine is expressed in kilowatts.

The horsepower and the watt are simply two ways of expressing exactly the same quantity: power. They can be used interchangeably. Technically, there's nothing wrong with expressing the power of a lamp, a kettle, or a heater in horsepower -if you wished!