this post was submitted on 31 Mar 2025
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Why do you need more than one horsepower to move a single person from A to B? If one horsepower is equivalent to the power of one horse, then a galloping horse will get you there faster than your average moped.
Joke answer: Style
Real answer: Horsepower originates from the potential sustained work of a (more-or-less) average horse of the 18th century. A horse at full speed is outputting more-than-one-horsepower - at a gallop, they're outputting 10 horsepower or more.
Hmm .. style over substance 😇
I just went down a rabbit hole as a result of your reply. Thank you!
The horsepower was defined by James Watt as a way to compare his steam engines against draft horses. The unit of power in use today is Watt and is named after him.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horsepower
For a giggle, if you're into SI units, look at the definition of a horsepower.