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Physics vocabulary · Heat and Thermodynamics

Pressure

Meaning in physics, with examples

/ˈpreʃər/nounCore term

In physics, pressure means: The force acting on each unit of area of a surface, found by dividing force by area. It is measured in pascals (Pa), where one pascal is one newton per square metre.

In Turkish: basınç

How it is used

Used in mechanics (p = F/A), fluids (pressure increases with depth) and gases, where pressure comes from particles hitting the container walls. Atmospheric pressure at sea level is about 101 kPa. Pressure is applied or exerted, and it rises or drops.

Example sentences

  1. Sharp knives cut well because they apply a large pressure over a tiny area.

  2. The pressure in the tyres rises on a hot day.

Common collocations

  • atmospheric pressure
  • gas pressure
  • pressure difference
  • exert pressure
  • constant pressure
  • forceA push or a pull that can change how an object moves or change its shape. It has both size and direction and is measured in newtons (N).
  • densityThe mass of a material per unit volume, found by dividing mass by volume. It is measured in kilograms per cubic metre (kg/m³) or grams per cubic centimetre (g/cm³).
  • ideal gas lawThe equation pV = nRT, which links the pressure, volume, temperature and amount of an ideal gas. Real gases follow it closely at low pressure and high temperature.
  • temperatureA measure of how hot or cold something is, linked to the average kinetic energy of its particles. In science it is measured in kelvin (K) or degrees Celsius (°C).
  • SI unitsThe international system of measurement units used in science, based on seven base units such as the metre, kilogram, second, ampere and kelvin. SI comes from the French 'Système international'.

This word in other fields

The same English word can have a different meaning in another field:

More terms: Heat and Thermodynamics

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