Pressure is the force applied perpendicular to the surface of an object per unit area over which that force is distributed. It can also be defined as the ratio of the force to the area.

Pressure (P) = Thrust/ Area

The SI unit is ‘pascals (Pa)’. 1 Pa = 1N/m2 

To get a better understanding of what pressure is, have a look at this example:

You have a sharp pin and a blunt pin. If you hit the sharp pin with a heavy object like a hammer, you would notice that it would be easier to hit the sharp pin because the area at the end of it is smaller. This leads to an increase in pressure.

• Pascal
• Kilopascal
• Megapascal
• Hectopascal
• Bar
• Torr
• Pound per square inch
• Kilopound per square inch

There are four types of pressure:

• Atmospheric Pressure
• Absolute Pressure
• Differential Pressure
• Gauge Pressure

Interesting facts about pressure:

• The pascal unit was named after French physicist Blaise Pascal.
• Changes of the air pressure help in determining changes of the weather.
• The barometer is the device that measures the air pressure in millibars. 
• Submarines have to be specially designed to withstand high pressures when they are deep underwater.

For more information, formulas and other conversions you can use our free Pressure Converter.