Definition:Pascal (Unit)

Definition

The pascal is the SI unit of pressure.

It is defined as being:

The amount of pressure required to apply a force of $1$ newton over an area of $1$ square metre

Symbol

$\mathrm {Pa}$

The symbol for the pascal is $\mathrm {Pa}$.

Its $\LaTeX$ code is \mathrm {Pa} .

Base Units

The SI base units of the pascal are:

$\mathrm {Pa} := \mathrm {kg} \, \mathrm m^{-1} \, \mathrm s^{-2}$

where:

$\mathrm {kg}$ denotes kilograms

$\mathrm m$ denotes metres

$\mathrm s$ denotes seconds (of time).

Source of Name

This entry was named for Blaise Pascal.

Historical Note

The name pascal was adopted for the SI unit newton per square metre by the 14th General Conference on Weights and Measures in $1971$.

Sources

• 1989: Ephraim J. Borowski and Jonathan M. Borwein: Dictionary of Mathematics ... (previous) ... (next): pascal
• 1998: David Nelson: The Penguin Dictionary of Mathematics (2nd ed.) ... (previous) ... (next): pascal
• 2008: David Nelson: The Penguin Dictionary of Mathematics (4th ed.) ... (previous) ... (next): pascal
• 2014: Christopher Clapham and James Nicholson: The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Mathematics (5th ed.) ... (previous) ... (next): pascal