Brake Horse Power

[wisewomen]

Can someone please give me a simple definition of Brake Horse Power. I was watching Fifth Gear last night with my bloke and I asked him what it meant. He openly admitted it was difficult to explain and tried his hardest but I still dont really understand.

[New Judge]

Technically, one horsepower is the power required to lift 550 pounds (about 245 kilos) one foot (30cm) in one second.
The term �brake� horsepower when related to engine output is so called because it was originally measured by applying a brake to the engine�s output shaft and measuring how much braking force was needed to stop the engine running.
These days bhp is computer calculated.

[LostSheep]

Taken from - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horsepower

"Brake horsepower (bhp) is the measure of an engine's horsepower without the loss in power caused by the gearbox, generator, differential, water pump, and other auxiliary components. Thus the prefix "brake" refers to where the power is measured: at the engine's output shaft, as on an engine dynamometer. The actual horsepower delivered to the driving wheels is less. An engine would have to be retested to obtain a rating in another system. The term "brake" refers to the original use of a band brake to measure torque during the test (which is multiplied by the engine RPM and a scaling constant to give horsepower)."

[McNoodle]

So where do the horses come into it, and what type are they?

[LostSheep]

McNoodle - originally pit ponies

http://auto.howstuffworks.com/horsepower.htm

[Littlejohn]

In its simplest terms its "The power available at the flywheel to do useful work"

This is the power output of an engine after internal frictional losses within the engine.

The power actually reaching the road wheels is further reduced by frictional losses within the transmission system.

One horse power is just what it says (the power supplied by one horse to pull, for example a plough or cart). Of course the horse would need a good ration of oats in the morning, but don't we all?