Power is the rate at which work is done or the rate at which energy is converted from one form to another, e.g. from chemical energy (coal) to electrical energy in a “power” station and from electrical to mechanical energy in a motor.
An Olympic weight lifter might achieve 1500 – 1800 W but only for a while, less than a minute |
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A top-class Tour de France cyclist might achieve a work output rate of 500 W during several hours. |
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A seated person will use about 100 W for basic body metabolism: breathing, thinking, etc. |
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“Horsepower” is an old unit of measurement that has several definitions but is typically equal to 745 W – so a horse was (optimistically) thought to be able to deliver 745 W. |
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