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Power converter
Rate of energy, including the three different horsepowers. 6 units, converted from one table of exact factors.
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Worth knowing. There are three horsepowers in common use and they disagree. Mechanical horsepower is the American one, metric horsepower (PS) is the European one.
1 mechanical horsepower in every other power unit
Computed by the same engine that runs the converter above, so these can never drift apart from it.
| From | Equals | Unit |
|---|---|---|
| 1 mechanical horsepower | 745.6998716 | watt (W) |
| 1 mechanical horsepower | 0.7456998716 | kilowatt (kW) |
| 1 mechanical horsepower | 0.0007456998716 | megawatt (MW) |
| 1 mechanical horsepower | 1.013869665 | metric horsepower (PS) |
| 1 mechanical horsepower | 2,544.433578 | BTU/hour (BTU/h) |
What each unit actually is
Most converters give you a number and stop. Where a figure is exact by definition we say so, and where it is an average or shifts with conditions we say that too — that is usually the thing you needed to know.
| Unit | Symbol | What it actually is |
|---|---|---|
| watt | W | One joule per second. The SI derived unit. |
| kilowatt | kW | Exact. |
| megawatt | MW | Exact. |
| mechanical horsepower | hp | Exactly 550 foot-pounds per second. The horsepower used for cars in Britain and America. |
| metric horsepower | PS | Exact. Slightly smaller. Used across Europe, often written PS or CV — which is why the same car has two different horsepower figures. |
| BTU/hour | BTU/h | The unit air conditioning is rated in. |
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