Based on the term, one may assume that a horse can produce around 1 horsepower.
Linguistically, it makes sense. In reality, it’s way off the mark.
The maximum output of a horse is actually much closer to 15 horsepower.
In fact, a more befitting name for the unit might be “humanpower,” as the average healthy person can produce just over 1 horsepower.
Where did the term come from?
James Watt, a Scottish engineer coined it in the late 1700s remembered for his steam engines.
To highlight the superiority of his contraptions he decided to compare steam engines to horses and invented a unit of measurement.
Based on his observations Watt estimated that working horses were capable of pushing about 33,000 pounds 1 foot per minute (14,968.55 kilograms 1 meter per minute).
That’s how the “horsepower” unit was born.
Watt’s machines were more powerful than horses, and very few people questioned the veracity of his calculations.