View source for Units of Measurement/Pressure

[[Image:Pressure exerted by collisions.svg‎|thumb|right|250px|This figure shows pressure exerted by particle collisions inside a closed container. The collisions that exert the pressure are highlighted in red.]]
'''Pressure''' is the force per unit area applied in the direction perpendicular to a surface. Mathematically, pressure is defined as

:<math> P = \frac{dF}{dA} </math>

where:
:''P'' is pressure
:''F'' is the component of force perpendicular to the surface
:''A'' is the area of the surface

When a force is constant over an area, the pressure acting on that area is simply

:<math> P = \frac{F}{A} </math>

It can be given the units of N.m<sup>-2</sup>. Pressure is a scalar quantity, thus it acts in all directions at any given point.  In order for pressure to create a force, the pressure must be integrated over some area.

{{Pressure Units}}

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