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InsidiousTechnique t1_ja6b1qj wrote

Reply to comment by CollegeAnarchy in ELI5: Why does farming equipment require such low horsepower compared to your average car? by thetravelingsong

I understand the concept, I doubt it applies to dirt in the same way. There's probably some affect there, but surely not in the same cubic relation.

As an example, you can plow dirt and if you were to go over the same dirt right after and it would take much less force at a constant speed.

It's more about the mechanical bonding and friction than fluid losses in this instance. I'm calling in to question your assertion that dirt acts similarly as a fluid in this specific instance.

How much force does it take to pull a plow through dirt at zero speed? Meaning, if you put a plow in to the dirt, does it take greater than zero force to move it?

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MortalTwit t1_ja6iwq0 wrote

Force = mass times acceleration squared. If you double your speed, you need x4 the force.

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