Pressure
Convert between different units of pressure used in engineering, meteorology, medicine, and scientific applications
Pressure Converter
Convert between different units of pressure used in engineering, meteorology, medicine, and scientific applications
Conversion Result
Fun Facts
About Pressure
Explore pressure units from engineering, meteorology, medicine, and physics
Historical Context
Pressure measurement has evolved across different fields and cultures. The pascal, named after French physicist Blaise Pascal, became the SI unit in 1971. Earlier units like mmHg (millimeters of mercury) originated from barometers, while psi (pounds per square inch) developed in engineering contexts. Different industries developed specialized units - meteorology uses millibars, medicine uses mmHg for blood pressure, and engineering fields often use psi or bar.
Modern Standards
Today, the pascal (Pa) is the SI unit for pressure, defined as one newton per square meter. Weather forecasting typically uses hectopascals (hPa) or millibars. Engineering applications often use bar, psi, or kPa depending on the region and industry. Medical fields continue to use mmHg for blood pressure measurements, while vacuum technology uses torr. High-pressure applications in materials science typically use gigapascals (GPa) or megapascals (MPa).
Did you know?
Select a unit to see interesting facts about it.
Conversion Reference
Quick reference for common pressure conversions