How much horsepower is indicated in the vehicle's passport and what is their real number

The more powerful the car, the more its owner pays to the state budget in the form of fees and duties. Nevertheless, there are many lovers of fast driving, and they proudly explain to less wealthy citizens how much horsepower lurks under the hood of their "iron horse". If someone has only sixty, then this is almost a small car, but a hundred is already serious. How did it happen that the engine is estimated in the units of the animal carrier?

The invention of Watt and its promotion to the market

It all began with a historical moment, namely with the invention of James Watt his car, which made a revolution in steam engine building (1772). From previous developments, it was characterized by a double action, which caused its economy and much better handling. Each engineer is interested in getting the maximum economic effect from his achievement, but every novelty is perceived on the market with caution. This problem was also faced by Watt, who proposed a new steam engine to numerous owners of coal mines. Then the "PR-technologies" were not as developed as now, everyone invented advertising moves independently. It turned out that James Watt is talented not only in mechanics. He showed himself as a gifted manager, using the now widely used method of comparison.

How to compare steam and horse

In order to interest the steam engine of the dual action of future customers, Watt had to omit the physical and technical details. In them, the miners still did not understand anything. Consumers were interested in one thing: what kind of profit this device will bring to them.

Lifting coal at that time was carried out by horse traction. Having clearly demonstrated how much horsepower can replace his car, Watt could convincingly argue the financial benefit of its acquisition.

Here we should pay attention to the fact that the common animal was too large to be used in underground workings, so ponies worked in the mines. This in a sense played into the hands of Watt (in parrots, as you know, boas are much longer). Figures could turn out impressive.

The process of economic justification and definition of the unit of measure

The great inventor had to distract himself from complex engineering calculations for a while and engage in arithmetic in combination with observations of animals and miners. He calculated that, on average per minute, a load of 180 pounds (slightly more than 80 kg) pony lifts to a height of 181 feet (about 55 meters). Multiplying these two digits, Watt obtained a product equal to 32,580 lb-ft, then rounded it up to 33,000 to simplify calculations. Now it was necessary to install the machine, determine its productivity, divide it by 33,000 and name its horsepower. Simply and clearly. A pump equipped with a Watt machine can replace a certain number of horses. Further economic calculations are available to any accountant who has information on the costs of keeping ponies, their costs and other expenses. The comparison showed a great profitability of the steam in comparison with the horse. Progress has won.

Pony is also a horse

About the fact that as a standard used not full-fledged horses, but ponies, over time somehow forgotten. But after all, horses are different - and dumplings, and horses, and ordinary Savraski. Americans eventually even offered their "standard": according to them, one horsepower is developed by an animal weighing 750 kg, jumping over an obstacle of a square cross-section with a side of 183 cm (American Scientist magazine). Since no one was able to substantiate exactly, where did these figures come from, the definition did not take root.

However, Watt's experiments were recognized by physicists and engineers. They gave his name to a unit of power, for the first time in history, calling it by the name of the inventor. It happened in 1882, the Amperes and Volts were still ahead. It remained to determine unequivocally how much horsepower Watt had.

What is the difference between the American and European horsepower

In all of Europe (including the Russian Empire), the power was calculated by that time from a different system unit - kilogram of force, and the speed measured in meters per second. It turned out that 1 liter. from. Was equal to 75 kgf · m / s. Now determine how much horsepower 1 kW includes, it was easy. Comparing the accepted historical measures, metrologists have calculated that 1 liter. from. Corresponds to approximately 735.5 W (more precisely - 735.4988) in the metric system of measurements.

The British and Americans use their own strength and weights, so they have a slightly different figure from ours. In the US, the horse is a bit "stronger", it is estimated at 0.745699871 kW. However, in the final analysis this does not affect the result, the difference with the metric 1 liter. from. Is just over one percent.

Marketing Tricks

The number of horsepower - one of the main advertising lures when selling cars. Buying a powerful car, many consumers believe that they themselves become stronger, and sellers are not in a hurry to dissuade them, quite the contrary. Even if the engine is actually comparable with the engine of a fighter of the Second World War, I want the figure to be even more solid. Deceiving people, of course, is not good, they can also file for it, but you can measure the power in different ways. The main methods of increasing the passport capacity are two:

1. "Net-measurement". The method is the most usual, except that the engine runs on the stand, without a muffler, and only at the reference load. If everything connected to it, without which no car can drive, namely the transmission, the generator, the radiator fan, etc., then, in comparison with the gross-measurement, the power would differ by at least a fifth. In the smaller side, of course.

2. Fuel "tricks". Determining how much horsepower can give out the engine, it is filled with the most high-octane gasoline, which only happens in free sale. In some countries, even aviation fuel of brand 100 is sold at gas stations, and this is what automakers (especially Japanese) are using. It is possible that the sale of such gasoline is sponsored by them, because the mass consumer is practically not needed, but the fact of its free access allows testing the engine in a critical mode and obtaining very high results.

Such is the marketing dexterity. And yet no fraud, all honest.