Measuring Power

Horsepower: A workhorse can lift 550 pounds 1 foot in the air in 1 second; that is 1 horsepower. Engines are measured in horsepower. A 10-horsepower engine can do the work of ten horses.

Manpower: An average man lifts 55 pounds 1 foot high in 1 second.

Candlepower: The amount of light given off by a candle of a specific size, shape, type of tallow, and type of wick. The brightness of an electric light is measured in candlepower.

Megaton: A megaton is the blasting power of a hydrogen bomb. One megaton has the power of 1 million tons of TNT.

Fact Monster/Information Please® Database, © 2007 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

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