Horsepower to Joule per Second Converter

Horsepower (hp) is a unit of power originally defined as the power needed to lift 550 pounds one foot in one second, approximately equal to 746 watts. It was created to compare the output of steam engines with the power of draft horses.

Horsepower was defined by James Watt around 1782 to market his steam engines by comparing their output to the familiar power of horses. It became the standard unit for mechanical power in English-speaking countries and remains widely used despite the adoption of SI units.

Horsepower is extensively used in automotive engines, mechanical equipment, and motor specifications. It's standard for car engine ratings, industrial machinery, pumps, and mechanical power transmission systems, particularly in the United States.

Joule per second (J/s) is a unit of power representing the rate of energy transfer of one joule per second. It's exactly equivalent to the watt and represents the fundamental definition of power as energy per unit time.

Joule per second represents the fundamental definition of power and was implicit in early thermodynamic studies. It became formalized with the development of the SI system and provides the direct relationship between energy (joules) and power (watts).

Joule per second is primarily used in educational contexts to illustrate the relationship between energy and power. In practical applications, it's equivalent to watts and is used in thermodynamic calculations and energy system analysis.