Beastpower

Beastpower is a raw measure of force and energy, typically within an engine or power plant.

• It is a standard Imperial metric.
• The same metric is known as horsepower to many Solomani and Terran-originated cultures.

Description (Specifications)

Beastpower is a frequently used unit of measurement of force and energy. It is measurement of the rate at which work is done.

• 1 watt is broadly equal to 0.00133 beastpower
• 1 beastpower is equivalent to approximately 750 watts, or 0.00075 Megawatts.
• The standard abbreviation is bp.

One beastpower is sufficient force to move 4500 kilograms a distance of 1 meter per second per second.

Term Usage Example

A finely tuned TL-5 3 liter engine burning refined hydrocarbon fuel can produce hundreds of beastpower, propelling a vehicle at speeds of hundreds of kph.

History & Background (Dossier)

On Terra, horsepower evolved as a concept to quantify the amount of work that could be done by a horse, a native creature widely used as the motive power for carts, carriages and other primitive vehicles, as well as a power source within basic industrial processes. The world at the time was undergoing a period of rapid technological advancement and the need for standard metrics defining the power produced by an animal proved necessary. The term was used to compare the output of horses to mechanical chemical-fueled steam power plants, which were first developed on the world during the era. Technologists found horsepower useful as the concept of the Technology Level and standardized ideas about sophont society development began to take form and it continued to be used.

Horsepower has been widely referred to as Beastpower since the end of the Rule of Man, around -1776, though the two terms remained interchangeable throughout much of Imperial space. Beastpower was officially adopted as the standard terminology following the Solomani Rim War to avoid the use of specifically Terranocentric metrics .

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References & Contributors (Sources)

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This list of sources was used by the Traveller Wiki Editorial Team and individual contributors to compose this article. Copyrighted material is used under license from Far Future Enterprises or by permission of the author. The page history lists all of the contributions.

• T5 Core Rules
• Traveller Wiki Editorial Team
• Author & Contributor: Lord (Marquis) and Master of Sophontology Maksim-Smelchak of the Ministry of Science