Kind of Off Topic--- Horse Power

[Dallas]

When I grew up, if in fact I did grow up. We were taught in school that Horse Power was equal to the time it took 1 horse to raise 1 gallon  (I meant 1 pound - sorry) of water 1 foot.

On TV a few minutes ago, I saw a different formula for HP: Horse Power equals 33,000 ft lbs. per minute.

Now, I'm not well educated, but can usually get my own shoes tied correctly if I have a diagram  and button my own shirt with all the buttons in the right button holes 3 times out of five, but isn't there something missing from the second formula?

[Lee Bradley]

What you were taught is not correct.  The second forumla looks correct; 33,000 pounds raised one foot in one minute or one pound raised 33,000 feet in one minute.

[skipn]

Though not scientifically validated but at least now I think I understand better

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horsepower#Mechanical_horsepower

Skip

[Dallas]

From Wikipedia:

Watt was working with ponies lifting coal at a coal mine, and he wanted to define the power available from one of these animals. He found that, on average, a mine pony could do 22,000 foot-pounds (lift a bucket of coal weighing 22,000 lb. a distance of 1-foot) of work in a minute. He then increased that number by 50 percent and fixed the measurement of horsepower at 33,000-foot-pounds of work in one minute.

Dammmm..... That's one stout pony! 

[skipn]

 If you look further down there are the formulas supposedly used.

See I don't need jacks just some stout ponies (that actually mind)

Skip