What Exactly Is Horsepower, Anyway?

Like almost any automotive publication, we use the term “horsepower” all the time. It’s one of those words that seems so straightforward. What is horsepower? Why, it’s the power of a horse! What does that mean? Physical power? Political? Sexual? What horse? How is it measured? Let’s find out, with animation!
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[@wayslow]

Any translation for us, poor souls, not understanding *freedom* units?

[@strafe501]

1ft is 30.48Cm
And 30,000lbs is a little less than 15,000Kg

[@Chloecardenas420]

I'm jus tryna understand wtf my bf be talking about

[@CrooL1011]

I respect that wholeheartedly 🫡

[@lolkhan-nn4cf]

oh

[@sriharshakavuri98]

Sensible units please...

[@curtislovrak5390]

Horsepower is how fast you hit the wall, and torque is how far you take the wall with you. Pffff everyone knows that!

[@markporthouse]

At 0:11 "The energy needed to displace one pound of matter, one foot" Nope! that is not correct! E.g. if your one pound of stationary matter is magnetically levitated in a vacuum, you will be able to displace it by a foot with very little energy indeed. Perhaps you mean "raise one pound of matter from the surface of the Earth by one foot"???

[@TheHypnotstCollector]

around 1981 there was a rash of odd Audi accidents where the driver claimed that although stepping on the brake the car would Accelerate with the brake on. Even an automatic trans.....This is of course impossible. Brake Horse Power is just that and any car brakes make 1000 to 3000 Brake HP. One day my 1959 Vette with a 550hp 350 in it had the throttle stick wide open. It wouldn't close. In 2nd gear it went from 70 to 100 in 2.5 seconds. I simply put on the brakes. Drum brakes. After a few tries I just turned off the engine. I wanted to prove that the Audi issue wasn't a Brake issue. It was a driver error issue. And some fools tried to capitalize on the claim and purposely slammed their car into a tree and such. They went to the hospital and probably to jail.

[@JulianMarkau]

Why are horses being excavated in coal mines?

[@Javierm0n0]

as an american, horsepower is a trash metric. Can we stop using it?