[TheForge] Re: Smithing question

[Andy Vida]

Mike Spencer wrote:

> So a few students climbed the rope, calculated out at a pathetic 0.1
> HP or there abouts (If I recall correctly -- long time ago). Two of
> the school's top jocks were in this class and of course had to show
> off.  The captian of the basketball team reached the ceiling, yelled
> "stop" and calculated out at 0.3 HP.  Loud cheers.

	When I was an engineering student at UC Davis, I was
	very heavy into biking.  We trained a good 700 miles
	per week, now considered to be gross over training.
	But my legs were like tree stumps.  Anyhow, Davis
	is known for biking and some of my classmates decided
	to measure human hp on a bike.  I was one of the guinea
	pigs.  In shape I was able to put out a steady .25 hp
	literally for several hours.  I would have rated the
	exertion at about 70%, give or take.  At 100% I was doing
	perhaps .4 hp or thereabouts, but could maintain this
	only for several miles... perhaps ten to twenty?  For short
	sprints I was able to generate well in excess of 1 hp,
	but this lasted for perhaps one to two miles and I was ready
	to cough up a lung.  I was an extremely strong sprinter, but
	not much of a road racer.
> 
> Then the teacher -- ca 35 years old and not the athletic type -- took
> a turn.  On "go" sprang up, grabbed as high as possible, pulled up as
> far as that initial grab would take him and yelled "stop".
> Calculations showed about 1.0 HP.
> 
> The jocks had been going all the way to the ceiling.  Point made: HP
> is a unit measuring *the rate* at which work is done.  Humans can't
> sustain a rate of 1 HP but can hit 1 HP over short intervals of, say,
> 1 to 2 seconds.

	Very so.
> 
> Good teacher.  Even the jocks got it.

	That really was a good teacher.