

The kilopascal is simply a multiple of the pascal, as is common within SI. History/origin: The unit, pascal, is named after Blaise Pascal, a French mathematician and physicist. A kilopascal is defined as 1,000 Pa, where 1 Pa is defined as the pressure exerted by a 1 newton force applied perpendicularly to an area of one square meter, expressed as 1 N/m 2 or 1 kg/m Kilopascalĭefinition: A kilopascal (symbol: kPa) is a multiple of the pascal (Pa), an SI (International System of Units) derived unit of pressure used to measure internal pressure, Young's modulus, stress, and ultimate tensile strength. Meteorologists and weather reporters worldwide often use this unit for convenience, since working in pascals would result in much larger values. Millibars (symbol: mb) are also commonly used when referencing atmospheric air pressure, where atmospheric pressure equals 1013.25 mbar (101.325 kPa). The International Bureau of Weights and Measures has specified the bar as a unit that authors should have the freedom to use but has chosen not to include the bar in the list of non-SI units accepted for use with SI. The term "bar" comes from the Greek word "baros," which means weight.Ĭurrent use: Although the bar is a metric unit of pressure, it is not accepted within the International System of Units (SI) and is even deprecated within certain fields. History/origin: The unit, bar, was introduced by Vilhelm Bjerknes, a Norwegian meteorologist who founded modern weather forecasting. It is equal to 0.987 atmospheres (101,325 Pa), the unit often used as a reference of standard pressure. Definition: A bar (symbol: bar) is a metric unit of pressure that is defined as exactly 100,000 pascals (symbol: Pa).
