horsepower, the common unit of power; i.e., the rate at which work is done. In the British Imperial System, one horsepower equals 33,000 foot-pounds of work per minute—that is, the power necessary to lift a total mass of 33,000 pounds one foot in one minute.
Learn about the English unit of measurement horsepower (hp), including its origins, how it's calculated and converted into wattage, and applications.
Horsepower refers to the engine performance of cars and even lawn mowers. Learn what horsepower means, how it is measured and how it works in high-performance cars.
Horsepower (hp) is a unit of power, specifically referring to the rate at which work is done. It’s most often used to measure the output of engines, motors, or machines — essentially, how powerful they are at performing tasks over time.
Horsepower is simply a measure of power, which itself is a measurement of the rate at which work is done. Essentially, it is the way of determining how much energy is transferred in a set period...
Another difference between horsepower and torque is that horsepower is energy output over time, and torque is instantaneous. In the context of cars, broadly speaking, this means that a car with a lot of horsepower will have a higher top-speed than the same car with less horsepower.
Horsepower, a unit of power, is derived from a formula that incorporates torque and RPM. This calculation gives insight into the engine’s power output and performance capabilities.
Horsepower is directly convertible to watts, the standard SI unit of power. The standard conversion used in physics is: 1 mechanical horsepower (hp) is approximately equal to 746 watts (W).