

References and links are included for each defined term which refer to information provided by BIPM.

The definitions on this page are adopted from the official definitions which can be found in BIPM's International System of Units, or SI. The French organization is called Bureau International des Poids et Mesures, or BIPM, translated to English as International Bureau of Weights and Measures.
Watt formula electrical how to#
How to Convert Watt to Horsepower (metric)Įxample: convert 15 W to horsepower (metric):ġ5 W = 15 × 0.0013596216 horsepower (metric) = 0.Standard units of measurement are established by the official organization that is tasked with the standardization of international weights and measurements, ensuring that the entire world uses the same standards of weight and measurement. Watt to Horsepower (metric) Conversion Table Watt The term was later expanded to include other types of output power such as the imperial and metric horsepower measurements commonly used today. It is believed that Watt built on this idea and introduced the term horsepower, largely in an effort to market his steam engine. As early as 1702, Thomas Savery referenced horses when describing the output of an engine. Watt was not the first person to compare the output of horses to that of engines. History/origin: The term horsepower was adopted in the late 18 th century by James Watt to compare the output of steam engines with the power of draft horses. In addition, when rating electric motors, one horsepower is equal to 746 watts. Boiler horsepower, albeit a less common measurement than either imperial or metric horsepower, is used for rating steam boilers, and is equivalent to 34.5 pounds of water evaporated per hour at 212 degrees Fahrenheit, or 9809.5 watts. lbf/s), while metric horsepower is approximately 735.5 watts (75 kgf.Mechanical horsepower, also known as imperial horsepower, is defined as approximately 745.7 watts (550 ft Horsepower (metric)ĭefinition: The unit horsepower (symbol: hp) is a unit of measurement of power (the rate at which work is done).

The watt as a unit of power should not be confused with its energy counterpart, the watt-hour (and all its multiples/submultiples). The absolute watt was adopted as the SI unit of power in 1960.Ĭurrent use: As the SI derived unit of power, the watt in all its multiples and submultiples is used in many applications worldwide from radio transmission to use in the electric power industry. 1 absolute watt is equal to 1.00019 international watts. These were used until 1948 when the General Conference on Weights and Measures re-defined the watt to absolute units, using only mass, time, and length. In 1908, the "international" definitions were defined, with Siemens' definition being adopted as the international watt. It was first proposed in 1882 by William Siemens who defined it as "the power conveyed by a current of an Ampere through the difference of potential of a Volt." This was the definition used at the time within the existing system of units. History/origin: The watt is named after James Watt, a Scottish inventor. It is defined as 1 joule per second and is used to quantify the rate of energy transfer. Definition: A watt (Symbol: W) is the SI (International System of Units) derived unit of power.
