What does CC and horsepower actually mean in cars?

Question

What does CC and horsepower actually mean in cars?

In: Engineering

Answer 1

CC means cubic centimeters and describes the volume of the engine cylinders.

Horsepower is a measure of the rate which work can be done. 1 horsepower means that you can move 550 lbs 1 foot in 1 second. 2 horsepowers would either be 1100 lbs/1 ft/1 second, 550 lbs/2 ft/1 second, 550 lbs/1 ft/0.5 seconds or any combination thereof.