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More Re: inquiry 042400a

To: "Pete Stanisavljevich" <pete_stanisavljevich@coxtarget.com>,
Subject: More Re: inquiry 042400a
From: Bob Palmer <rpalmer@ames.ucsd.edu>
Date: Mon, 24 Apr 2000 08:55:53 -0700
Peter,

I probably created some confusion by trying to say too much at once 
regarding the horsepower versus speed concept. Let me amplify that part a 
little. Rolling resistance times speed means it takes twice as much power 
to maintain a constant speed at 60 versus 30. Wind resistance goes as speed 
squared, so the power to overcome wind resistance is speed times speed 
squared, or speed cubed. That's why over about 60 mph wind resistance 
becomes the predominant factor. Finally, regarding acceleration, the force 
is mass times acceleration. This means, for a given mass/weight of car, the 
force it takes to produce a particular acceleration is constant. So, as 
with the other factors, when you multiply this force times the speed of the 
car, you get the horsepower needed; i.e., the power needed for a given 
acceleration also increases in direct proportion to speed.

Hope you have a good one,

Bob


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