For many years we have all used horsepower as a way to communicate the power of our bikes. Unless we're in a proper country that uses Kilowatts. Or metric horsepower. Or imperial horsepower.
Now we're no longer in the EU and so occasionally enjoying
fricking brain-dead moronic great units-of-measurement revanchism around half a pound of bananas, I decided we should go our own way on measuring the power of our bikes. And because I currently have a magpie that has been landing on my window ledges all morning and beaking the window, I clearly have the mandate to do this. I asked an expert to help me define this game-changing approach (ChatGPT 4o):
Kitten Power
Step 1. Estimating a Kitten's Power Output:
1. Weight and Activity: An average domestic kitten weighs around 0.45-0.9 kg. A playful kitten can be quite energetic, but we need to estimate a reasonable sustained power output rather than peak bursts of energy.
2. Energy Expenditure: The metabolic rate of a small animal like a kitten can give us some clues. Let's assume an average kitten burns about 60-80 calories per day (about 250-335 kilojoules per day).
Step 2: Calculating Kitten Power
To convert the energy expenditure into power:
- 1 calorie = 4.184 joules
- Therefore, 60-80 calories per day = 251-335 kilojoules per day
- 1 day = 86,400 seconds
Power (in watts) = Energy (in joules) / Time (in seconds)
Using the average energy expenditure of 293 kilojoules per day:
Kitten Power = 293,000 joules / 86,400 seconds ≈ 3.39 watts
Step 3: Ratio of Horsepower to Kitten Power
Now that we have both measurements:
- 1 horsepower = 746 watts
- 1 kitten power ≈ 3.39 watts
Ratio = 746 watts / 3.39 watts ≈ 220
Conclusion
1 horsepower is approximately equivalent to 220 kitten power.
In summary:
1 horsepower ≈ 746 watts
1 kitten power ≈ 3.39 watts
1 horsepower ≈ 220 kitten power
My motorcycle has 38,500kp!
