Horsepower is the unit we use to measure the power of an engine. It is called horsepower because back in the eighteenth century when the term was invented, most heavy manual labor was done with horses rather than machines.
James Watt was an innovator and inventor. He developed a new type of steam engine that would put all other models of steam engines to shame. He used his mathematical skills to create a formula that measured the workload of a horse in a mine. He calculated that the average workhorse could carry 30,000 pounds of coal a distance of 12 inches in 60 seconds. This became known as the horsepower.
Today we still use this measurement, although we are not comparing our engines to horses. In our modern society, we are comparing one engine to another in order to make an informed decision as to what we should purchase and how much horsepower we need.
To learn more about James' Watt's horsepower and how it relates to you, contact our staff at Hagans Dodge Chrysler Motors!