pascals (Pa) to technical atmospheres (at) conversion

What is pascals?

Pascal (Pa) is the SI unit of pressure, defined as the force of one newton acting on an area of one square meter. This section will delve into the definition, formation, historical context, and practical applications of Pascal.

Pascal Definition

The pascal (Pa) is the SI derived unit of pressure used to quantify internal pressure, stress, Young's modulus, and ultimate tensile strength. It is defined as one newton per square meter.

$$1 \ Pa = 1 \frac{N}{m^2}$$

It can also be described using SI base units:

$$1 \ Pa = 1 \frac{kg}{m \cdot s^2}$$

Formation of Pascal

Pascal as a unit is derived from the fundamental units of mass (kilogram), length (meter), and time (second). Pressure, in general, is defined as force per unit area.

• Force: Measured in Newtons (N), which itself is defined as $kg \cdot m/s^2$ (from Newton's second law, $F=ma$).
• Area: Measured in square meters ($m^2$).

Thus, Pascal combines these: $N/m^2$ which translates to $(kg \cdot m/s^2) / m^2 = kg/(m \cdot s^2)$.

Blaise Pascal and Pascal's Law

The unit is named after Blaise Pascal (1623-1662), a French mathematician, physicist, inventor, writer, and Catholic theologian. He made significant contributions to the fields of mathematics, physics, and early computing.

Pascal's Law (or Pascal's Principle) states that a pressure change occurring anywhere in a confined incompressible fluid is transmitted throughout the fluid such that the same change occurs everywhere.

Mathematically, this is often represented as:

$\Delta P = \rho g \Delta h$

Where:

• $\Delta P$ is the hydrostatic pressure difference
• $\rho$ is the fluid density
• $g$ is the acceleration due to gravity
• $\Delta h$ is the height difference of the fluid

For further reading about Pascal's Law, you can refer to Pascal's Law and Hydraulics.

Real-World Examples

Here are some examples of pressure measured in Pascals or related units (like kilopascals, kPa):

• Atmospheric Pressure: Standard atmospheric pressure at sea level is approximately 101,325 Pa, or 101.325 kPa.
• Tire Pressure: Car tire pressure is often measured in PSI (pounds per square inch), but can be converted to Pascals. For example, 35 PSI is roughly 241 kPa.
• Hydraulic Systems: The pressure in hydraulic systems, like those used in car brakes or heavy machinery, can be several megapascals (MPa).
• Water Pressure: The water pressure at the bottom of a 1-meter deep pool is approximately 9.8 kPa (ignoring atmospheric pressure). The Hydrostatic pressure can be determined with formula $\Delta P = \rho g \Delta h$. Given that the density of water is approximately 1000 $kg/m^3$ and the acceleration due to gravity is 9.8 $m/s^2$
• Weather Forecasts: Atmospheric pressure changes are often reported in hectopascals (hPa), where 1 hPa = 100 Pa.

What is the technical atmosphere?

The technical atmosphere (at) is a non-SI unit of pressure equal to one kilogram-force per square centimeter. It was widely used in engineering, especially in Europe, before the pascal became standard.

Definition

The technical atmosphere is defined as the pressure of one kilogram-force acting on one square centimeter:

$$1\ \text{at} = 98066.5\ \text{Pa}$$

This equals exactly 1 kgf/cm² (98,066.5 Pa), because standard gravity is 9.80665 m/s². It is close to, but distinct from, the standard atmosphere (atm = 101,325 Pa) and the bar (100,000 Pa).

Origin and History

The technical atmosphere arose from the gravitational metric system of units, which used the kilogram-force rather than the newton. Expressing pressure as kilogram-force per square centimeter was intuitive for engineers weighing loads, and the unit became common in mechanical and hydraulic engineering, boilers, and pneumatics through much of the 20th century.

Law and Notable Facts

The technical atmosphere is not part of the SI and its use is discouraged in favor of the pascal or bar. It is easily confused with the standard atmosphere; the two differ by about 3.3%. Gauge and absolute variants were often written "atü" (gauge) and "ata" (absolute) in German-language engineering.

Real-World Examples and Conversions

• 1 at = 1 kgf/cm² = 98.0665 kPa ≈ 0.9678 atm.
• 1 at ≈ 14.223 psi, close to but slightly below the 14.696 psi of one standard atmosphere.
• A pressure of 10 at (about 981 kPa) is a common rating benchmark for industrial hydraulic components.
• 1 at ≈ 0.980665 bar, so the bar and technical atmosphere differ by under 2%.