Torque vs. Horsepower explained by Physics and not Joe Blow dirt track racer.
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Joined: Oct 2009
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From: finland
Well written piece, fun to read.
The thing about the 5252 is kinda funny. It completely depends on what is the unit of measurement. kW or Hp / Nm or ft-lbs. Use horse power and Nm (common in europe) and the value is 7121, use kW and Nm you are looking at 9549 ect.
I also like the bit about the Watt being quote "This is still popular in some countries". Duh its the standard SI unit for measuring power.
The thing about the 5252 is kinda funny. It completely depends on what is the unit of measurement. kW or Hp / Nm or ft-lbs. Use horse power and Nm (common in europe) and the value is 7121, use kW and Nm you are looking at 9549 ect.
I also like the bit about the Watt being quote "This is still popular in some countries". Duh its the standard SI unit for measuring power.
wow
Everybody! POWER is only a mathematically derived quantity with no physical meaning!!!
It doesn't really exist!
My god, I guess the 3 years of physics I took was worthless, I have now been proven wrong on the internet. Somebody call up James Watt, that mother ****er was wrong!
Everybody! POWER is only a mathematically derived quantity with no physical meaning!!!
It doesn't really exist!
My god, I guess the 3 years of physics I took was worthless, I have now been proven wrong on the internet. Somebody call up James Watt, that mother ****er was wrong!
Most of you people are so stupid it is amazing. Power is where it is at. You can gear any motor that makes X power to make more tq at the wheels. Gear reduction is why we have tranmissions. If an engine only makes 300hp though you cant gear it to make 500hp at the wheels. Why do you think some dynos use raw tq numbers and then back track to figure wheel tq related to rpm and whp.
Think of it this way. Tq is how hard a single push is. Power is how much force is applied total over time. If you can make the same push twice as many times in the same amount of time you have twice the power. If you make a 2x bigger push at half the speed it is the same total.
Think of it this way. Tq is how hard a single push is. Power is how much force is applied total over time. If you can make the same push twice as many times in the same amount of time you have twice the power. If you make a 2x bigger push at half the speed it is the same total.
Ted B is a myth... he is like the Stig... he comes out of nowhere, decimates, and throws dueces.
Some of the people in this thread really took to heart what their uncle Bobby told them as he pounded a case of beast light while wrenching on his POS Nova in 1981. I am sure he had a physics degree...
GOD it feels good being so... whats the word... cynical
Some of the people in this thread really took to heart what their uncle Bobby told them as he pounded a case of beast light while wrenching on his POS Nova in 1981. I am sure he had a physics degree...
GOD it feels good being so... whats the word... cynical
No, it's a what came first, the right or the wrong answer?
Somebody said it above, people tie torque and RPM together and talk about "torque curve" but the reality of it, once you throw RPM into the equation by saying "curve" you've gone from energy (torque) to power and power is what moves EVERYTHING.
Somebody said it above, people tie torque and RPM together and talk about "torque curve" but the reality of it, once you throw RPM into the equation by saying "curve" you've gone from energy (torque) to power and power is what moves EVERYTHING.
I don't have much to add other than to say there are different ways of explaining this, some more easily digested than others. The part that usually makes me cringe is the explanation of 'torque multiplication' and gearing, but I digress...
In the real world, the torque curve tells me how much pressure/force is being generated inside the engine at any given rpm, which at least partly reflects mechanical efficiency. The size and slope of the torque curve is IMO, the most useful piece of information reflected in a dyno chart. Ultimately, average HP with respect to gearing determines how quickly things happen when the rubber hits the road, but as the HP curve is derived from torque, the torque curve directly reflects what's happening inside the engine, and that serves as the very cornerstone from which the rest of the picture is developed.
In the real world, the torque curve tells me how much pressure/force is being generated inside the engine at any given rpm, which at least partly reflects mechanical efficiency. The size and slope of the torque curve is IMO, the most useful piece of information reflected in a dyno chart. Ultimately, average HP with respect to gearing determines how quickly things happen when the rubber hits the road, but as the HP curve is derived from torque, the torque curve directly reflects what's happening inside the engine, and that serves as the very cornerstone from which the rest of the picture is developed.