Neil deGrasse Tyson Explains Horsepower

What is horsepower? On this explainer, Neil deGrasse Tyson and comic co-host Chuck Nice break down what horsepower means a unit of measure, and where it comes from. Could we measure explosions in terms of Death Stars?

We hop in our horseless carriages and take a ride down what it means for something to have horsepower. What is the power of one horse? We break down engines and the different metrics used to measure their power. What about watts? How much horsepower does a NASA shuttle rocket engine have? What would it take to get millions of horses to run fast enough to get into orbit? We discuss how the power of atomic bombs and hydrogen bombs are quantified. Exploding horses? Death Stars? All that and more, on another StarTalk explainer!

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About StarTalk:
Science meets pop culture on StarTalk! Astrophysicist & Hayden Planetarium director Neil deGrasse Tyson, his comic co-hosts, guest celebrities & scientists discuss astronomy, physics, and everything else about life in the universe. Keep Looking Up!

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[TheOpinionatedYouTuber]

I’m a huge Star Wars fan and would LOVE to see a show about “Star Wars Sucks: They Got The Science Wrong!”

Do it, guys!!!

[sanketgurung]

1:30 Chuck trembling voice reminiscing his grandmother is wholesome ❤️

[nolan]

TNT (trinitrotoluene) and Dynamite (based off nitroglycerin) are two different chemical explosives, so probably best to not use those terms interchangeably.

[chall]

Chuck Nice’s countdown into a “YAHHH” was glorious.

[prakash]

Science is so much cool with examples, humor and pop reference. Why can't schools be like this. School system has not upgraded in ages.

[DetaP]

As a gearhead and a bookworm, I'm stoked for this one. Big ups Neil and Chuck!

[ShawnRavenfire]

It's like how phones haven't had dials on them since the seventies, but we still say "dialing" a phone number.

[Gonzo_Fast]

Great idea about the Star Wars episode, but you should call it simply, “Less than 12 Parsecs”

[dezaraydunigan]

I love this channel! Always looking forward to these good talks and discussions! 💖💖💖🌟🌟

[qtzdino]

I love Chuck’s idea for the next episode!

[wyndhamcoffman]

8:37 Contrary to the popular AC⚡DC lyrics; trinitrotoluene is not dynamite. I don't know why, but it is a pet peeve of mine that everyone thinks it is.

[mattevans-koch]

When I was in high school physics I asked my instructor to give an example of the magnitude of an erg. His reply has remained with me for over 50 years: "The magnitude of an erg is about the force of a gnat hitting your forehead at about one mile per hour." Thank you for giving me a better reference gentlemen. Have a great week.

[ezedjay]

I remember asking my Dad about Horse Power in the 1980's.
He explained it very well but I was always left with the question of - but - how does it really work? Fairly sure if you take 100 horses and test them they all have different power. Is it an average of some horses that were tested or what? Turns out that "Watt defined one horsepower as the equivalent of the energy expended by a single horse lifting 33, 000 pounds one foot in the air from the surface of the Earth in one minute." So there you go. That's told me :)

[TauRiOneill]

Love my Star Talk. I think a show comparing the application of science in science fiction would be great. Star Wars vs Star Trek vs Babylon 5 etc.

[woodrobin]

The shuttle engines (and airplane engines) should be measured in Pegasus power . . . although the abbreviation would be a little problematic.

Alternatively, we could use flying reindeer power (frp is a little less ridiculous than pp, I suppose).

[chrishalemusic]

Physics for everyone!!! Because it is part of everything in all our daily lives and these always make me think and consider more things that we take for granted.

[stephenvicaro]

I’m 49. The first 5-7 years of my life I called a refrigerator an icebox because of my grandmother. I also remember seeing my great grandmother’s actual icebox that she still used.

[hansa]

So glad to find this video, and ENCOURAGING to hear this accurate description of the unit of measurement, "horsepower"; nice history lessons as well!

[TheonlyNonlethalninja]

I attended the lecture at Chicago this Sunday. It was splendid 🙏👍

[mrmac]

Keep the videos coming!! Both of you are a perfect team. I can laugh and learn at the same time. I used to get detention for that! 😆