In the eighteenth century, horses were commonly used to work fields, transport goods and to work in the coal mines. It was in one of these eighteen century coal mines that the term, horsepower, came into existence.
Inventor and engineer James Watt was looking for a way to compare the power of his new steam engine to the common work horse. He observed horses in the coal mine and created a math equation that showed that one horse could move 33,000 pounds one foot per minute.
Watt coined the word, "horsepower" and used this in marketing his new engine.
Today, consumers use the term to compare one engine to another. The higher the horsepower, the more powerful the engine. Knowing how much horsepower a certain engine has, gives the customer an idea of the power of a vehicle without even having to do a test drive.
Visit Campbell Dodge Chrysler to learn more about how to put horsepower to work for you.