• DarkGamer@kbin.social
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    1 year ago

    It’s true!

    Although it may seem safe to assume that one horsepower is the output a horse is capable of creating at any one time, that is incorrect. In fact, the maximum output of a horse can be up to 15 horsepower,[2] and the maximum output of a human is a bit more than a single horsepower. For extreme athletes, this output can be even higher with Tour de France riders outputting around 1.2 horsepower for around 15 seconds, and just under 0.9 horsepower for a minute.[3]
    https://energyeducation.ca/encyclopedia/Horsepower

    I must now once again question the nature of reality.

    • Rivalarrival@lemmy.today
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      1 year ago

      the maximum output of a horse can be up to 15 horsepower,

      That’s the problem. The unit was not developed on the maximum power a horse could put out. It was intended to be what a typical horse could continuously sustain throughout the work day.

    • Mac@mander.xyz
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      1 year ago

      Pro sprinters (cyclists) can temporarily put out over 2hp according to their data logs.

    • Rodeo@lemmy.ca
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      1 year ago

      Just another silly quirk of the imperial system.

      Metric uses kilowatts.

    • Tb0n3@sh.itjust.works
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      1 year ago

      Wasn’t one unit of horsepower meant to represent sustained power, not peak power of a horse?

      • gramathy@lemmy.ml
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        1 year ago

        Average, not necessarily sustained. Horse gotta rest at some point regardless of how much power it’s putting out

        Iirc it’s an average over 1 day (24hrs) without regard to rest. So even sustained a horse is putting out more than 1hp at any given point in time

      • atocci@kbin.social
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        1 year ago

        It’s supposed to be the amount of work a strong horse can perform over one day on average.

  • Laticauda@lemmy.ca
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    1 year ago

    Horsepower is averaged based on an extended time period, how much power a horse can put out on average while constantly working. They can’t do 15 hp on a constant basis, they can only do it for a relatively brief period of time, so their average is 1 hp. A 15 hp engine can run at 15 hp for a much longer period of time, which a horse can’t do. If the engine was hypothetically capable of working consistently without ever breaking down, it would be able to run at 15 hp indefinitely. But even with the machine’s lifespan in mind, it can still run for years at the same output, which is impossible for a horse.

  • buckykat [none/use name]@hexbear.net
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    1 year ago

    1 horsepower is supposed to be the rate a shitty old timey horse can work over the course of a whole day. Also it was created as a way to market steam engines to replace horses as a source of mechanical power so there was an incentive to lowball the horse.

  • saltnotsugar@lemm.ee
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    1 year ago

    I think it’s between 1 and 15, depending on factors like how tired, or if his horse girlfriend broke up with him for that dumb old stud.

  • Captain Aggravated@sh.itjust.works
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    1 year ago

    There’s a difference between maximum power and maximum continuous power. It’s like your car engine; it might be rated for hundreds of horsepower, but most of the time cruising down the highway it might be making 20 or so just to keep you loafing along.