Torque or HP
4th Gear
Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 3,398
From: Lancaster pa
RE: Torque or HP
Torque is a measure of how much a force acting on an object causes that object to rotate. The object rotates about an axis, which we will call the pivot point, and will label 'O'. We will call the force 'F'. The distance from the pivot point to the point where the force acts is called the moment arm, and is denoted by 'r'. Note that this distance, 'r', is also a vector, and points from the axis of rotation to the point where the force acts.
The term horsepower was invented by the engineer James Watt. Watt lived from 1736 to 1819 and is most famous for his work on improving the performance of steam engines. We are also reminded of him every day when we talk about 60-watt light bulbs.
The story goes that Watt was working with ponies lifting coal at a coal mine, and he wanted a way to talk about the power available from one of these animals. He found that, on average, a mine pony could do 22,000 foot-pounds of work in a minute. He then increased that number by 50 percent and pegged the measurement of horsepower at 33,000 foot-pounds of work in one minute. It is that arbitrary unit of measure that has made its way down through the centuries and now appears on your car, your lawn mower, your chain saw and even in some cases your vacuum cleaner.
What horsepower means is this: In Watt's judgement, one horse can do 33,000 foot-pounds of work every minute. So, imagine a horse raising coal out of a coal mine as shown above. A horse exerting 1 horsepower can raise 330 pounds of coal 100 feet in a minute, or 33 pounds of coal 1,000 feet in one minute, or 1,000 pounds 33 feet in one minute. You can make up whatever combination of feet and pounds you like. As long as the product is 33,000 foot-pounds in one minute, you have a horsepower.
torque will get you off the like quicker, but ultimatly horsepower will prevail
The term horsepower was invented by the engineer James Watt. Watt lived from 1736 to 1819 and is most famous for his work on improving the performance of steam engines. We are also reminded of him every day when we talk about 60-watt light bulbs.
The story goes that Watt was working with ponies lifting coal at a coal mine, and he wanted a way to talk about the power available from one of these animals. He found that, on average, a mine pony could do 22,000 foot-pounds of work in a minute. He then increased that number by 50 percent and pegged the measurement of horsepower at 33,000 foot-pounds of work in one minute. It is that arbitrary unit of measure that has made its way down through the centuries and now appears on your car, your lawn mower, your chain saw and even in some cases your vacuum cleaner.
What horsepower means is this: In Watt's judgement, one horse can do 33,000 foot-pounds of work every minute. So, imagine a horse raising coal out of a coal mine as shown above. A horse exerting 1 horsepower can raise 330 pounds of coal 100 feet in a minute, or 33 pounds of coal 1,000 feet in one minute, or 1,000 pounds 33 feet in one minute. You can make up whatever combination of feet and pounds you like. As long as the product is 33,000 foot-pounds in one minute, you have a horsepower.
torque will get you off the like quicker, but ultimatly horsepower will prevail
1st Gear
Joined: Nov 2005
Posts: 153
From:
RE: Torque or HP
Power = Work / time Work = Force * distance
Torque is rotational force. T = (Force) * (length of lever arm aka radius of wheel) or T = Inertia * (rotational acceleration) ........inertia for a disk is 1/2(mass)(radius)^2 ......(i.e. size of wheel has more affect than weight of wheel, but don't get spinners anyway)
although, one could argue that a wheel is a hoop and not a disk, but I consider the spokes to have non-negligeable mass. if you're going with hoop then inertia = mr^2
You're going to feel more acceleration from higher torque.
ps This is why race cars don't have 20" spinners.
Torque is rotational force. T = (Force) * (length of lever arm aka radius of wheel) or T = Inertia * (rotational acceleration) ........inertia for a disk is 1/2(mass)(radius)^2 ......(i.e. size of wheel has more affect than weight of wheel, but don't get spinners anyway)
although, one could argue that a wheel is a hoop and not a disk, but I consider the spokes to have non-negligeable mass. if you're going with hoop then inertia = mr^2
You're going to feel more acceleration from higher torque.
ps This is why race cars don't have 20" spinners.
Joined: Nov 2005
Posts: 12,826
From:
RE: Torque or HP
Horsepower
Horsepower is the imperial (British) unit of power. A horsepower is the ability to do work at the rate of
33,000 ft.lb per min or
550 ft.lb per second
Note that Power is "Work per unit time" and work is "Force through distance". In gravity systems Force is Weight - mass multiplied with gravity.
The total horsepower developed by water falling from a given height is the product of the mass flow rate in pounds per minute times the falling height in feet divided by 33,000. It can be expressed as:
Php = mmin h g / 33000 (1)
Horsepower is the imperial (British) unit of power. A horsepower is the ability to do work at the rate of
33,000 ft.lb per min or
550 ft.lb per second
Note that Power is "Work per unit time" and work is "Force through distance". In gravity systems Force is Weight - mass multiplied with gravity.
The total horsepower developed by water falling from a given height is the product of the mass flow rate in pounds per minute times the falling height in feet divided by 33,000. It can be expressed as:
Php = mmin h g / 33000 (1)
4th Gear
Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 3,794
From: Home of the Yankees
RE: Torque or HP
Without getting technical...higher torque is great for acceleration, horsepower is good for top speed. If a car has high hp then chances are (not all cases) its gonna have even higher torque.
4th Gear
Joined: Nov 2005
Posts: 3,393
From: Columbus Ohio
RE: Torque or HP
Hey we know you can cut and paste now, you could have just posted the link from "howstuffworks.com"
LOL
LOL
ORIGINAL: Lazer Viking
Torque is a measure of how much a force acting on an object causes that object to rotate. The object rotates about an axis, which we will call the pivot point, and will label 'O'. We will call the force 'F'. The distance from the pivot point to the point where the force acts is called the moment arm, and is denoted by 'r'. Note that this distance, 'r', is also a vector, and points from the axis of rotation to the point where the force acts.
The term horsepower was invented by the engineer James Watt. Watt lived from 1736 to 1819 and is most famous for his work on improving the performance of steam engines. We are also reminded of him every day when we talk about 60-watt light bulbs.
The story goes that Watt was working with ponies lifting coal at a coal mine, and he wanted a way to talk about the power available from one of these animals. He found that, on average, a mine pony could do 22,000 foot-pounds of work in a minute. He then increased that number by 50 percent and pegged the measurement of horsepower at 33,000 foot-pounds of work in one minute. It is that arbitrary unit of measure that has made its way down through the centuries and now appears on your car, your lawn mower, your chain saw and even in some cases your vacuum cleaner.
What horsepower means is this: In Watt's judgement, one horse can do 33,000 foot-pounds of work every minute. So, imagine a horse raising coal out of a coal mine as shown above. A horse exerting 1 horsepower can raise 330 pounds of coal 100 feet in a minute, or 33 pounds of coal 1,000 feet in one minute, or 1,000 pounds 33 feet in one minute. You can make up whatever combination of feet and pounds you like. As long as the product is 33,000 foot-pounds in one minute, you have a horsepower.
torque will get you off the like quicker, but ultimatly horsepower will prevail
Torque is a measure of how much a force acting on an object causes that object to rotate. The object rotates about an axis, which we will call the pivot point, and will label 'O'. We will call the force 'F'. The distance from the pivot point to the point where the force acts is called the moment arm, and is denoted by 'r'. Note that this distance, 'r', is also a vector, and points from the axis of rotation to the point where the force acts.
The term horsepower was invented by the engineer James Watt. Watt lived from 1736 to 1819 and is most famous for his work on improving the performance of steam engines. We are also reminded of him every day when we talk about 60-watt light bulbs.
The story goes that Watt was working with ponies lifting coal at a coal mine, and he wanted a way to talk about the power available from one of these animals. He found that, on average, a mine pony could do 22,000 foot-pounds of work in a minute. He then increased that number by 50 percent and pegged the measurement of horsepower at 33,000 foot-pounds of work in one minute. It is that arbitrary unit of measure that has made its way down through the centuries and now appears on your car, your lawn mower, your chain saw and even in some cases your vacuum cleaner.
What horsepower means is this: In Watt's judgement, one horse can do 33,000 foot-pounds of work every minute. So, imagine a horse raising coal out of a coal mine as shown above. A horse exerting 1 horsepower can raise 330 pounds of coal 100 feet in a minute, or 33 pounds of coal 1,000 feet in one minute, or 1,000 pounds 33 feet in one minute. You can make up whatever combination of feet and pounds you like. As long as the product is 33,000 foot-pounds in one minute, you have a horsepower.
torque will get you off the like quicker, but ultimatly horsepower will prevail
Thread Starter
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Senior Member
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 240
From:
RE: Torque or HP
Without getting technical...higher torque is great for acceleration, horsepower is good for top speed. If a car has high hp then chances are (not all cases) its gonna have even higher torque.
am i correct?