Subtopic: Sources of power on the farm – human, animal, mechanical, electrical, wind, solar and biomass
Question Statement:
Under standard ergonomic working conditions, the continuous sustainable mechanical power output of an average healthy agricultural worker performing manual farm operations over an 8-hour shift is approximately:
Options:
(A) $0.10\text{ hp } (\approx 75\text{ W})$
(B) $0.50\text{ hp } (\approx 375\text{ W})$
(C) $1.00\text{ hp } (\approx 750\text{ W})$
(D) $2.00\text{ hp } (\approx 1500\text{ W})$
Answer Key:
A
Step-by-Step Solution & Explanation
- **Human Power Output on the Farm:**
- An average human worker can exert maximum short-burst power up to $0.5\text{--}0.75\text{ hp}$ for a few seconds.
- However, for continuous aerobic physical work spanning an $8\text{-hour}$ working day without physiological exhaustion (maintaining heart rate below $\approx 110\text{--}120\text{ bpm}$), the sustained continuous power output is approximately $0.10\text{ hp}$ ($75\text{ W}$).