Measuring Human Horsepower

Abstract The objective: The purpose of this project was to measure the amount of horsepower an average human could generate. I measured the amount they could sustain, and also the greatest they could generate. Methods/Materials To do this experiment I timed seven people walking and running up a set of stairs. Then I used their weight, time and the height of the staircase to calculate their horspeower. Results I found out that the most horsepower a human generated when running was 0.89 and the least was 0.32. The most a person sustained was 0.36 and the least was 0.17. Conclusions/Discussion From my experiment I saw that humans can generate a measurable amount of horsepower. They don't have nearly the power of machines, but the amount can be measued. My results showed that my experiment worked and that my problem could be tested. This project measured the maximum amount of horsepower that humans could generate and the amount they could sustain.