Pressure is measured using the SI unit Pascal (Pa). What is the derived SI unit for pressure?

1 Answer
Jan 26, 2017

#Pa=N//m^2=N*m^(-2)# or Newton per square meter

Explanation:

The Newton can be further broken down into basic units:
#N=kg*m//s^2#, meaning that a force of #1N# will give a mass of #1kg# an acceleration of #1m//s^2#

So in basic units pressure can be summarized as:

#N/m^2=(kg*cancelm//s^2)/m^cancel2=(kg)/(m*s^2)#, but this is hardly done.

Since the Pascal is a very small unit, the kiloPascal (#kPa=1000Pa#) is often used. Also in use is the unit hectoPascal (#hPa=100Pa#), as it has the same size as the milliBar (#mBar#), that is still widely used for (atmospheric) pressure, as #1Bar(1000mBar)# is close to #1atm#, an older unit for pressure.