hectopascals to millimeters of mercury conversion

What is a Hectopascal?

The hectopascal (hPa) is a 100 pascals (Pa). This is also known as millibar. The pascal is a SI unit that measures pressure. Pascal unit is named after Blaise Pascal and it replaced the previously used units for pressure $N/m^2$ in SI unit system. Following are equal representation of 1 Hectopascal in other units.

$$1\ hPa = 1\ millibar = \frac{100 *N}{m^2} = \frac{100 *kg}{m*s^2} = \frac{100 *J}{m^3}$$

Where
$N - Newtons$
$kg - Kilograms$
$m - Meters$
$s - Seconds$
$J - Jules$

Wikipedia page link for Pascal

What is millimeters of mercury?

Millimeters of mercury (mmHg) is a unit of measurement used to express pressure, specifically atmospheric pressure. It's commonly used in medicine and physiology to measure blood pressure.

In essence, mmHg measures the pressure exerted by a column of mercury, which is a dense liquid metal, against a surface. The "millimeter" refers to the height of the mercury column, while the "mercury" part comes from the use of mercury as the liquid in the measuring device.

A standard barometer (an instrument that measures atmospheric pressure) uses a column of mercury to measure pressure. When the air pressure is high, the mercury level rises, and when it's low, the level drops. This allows for a direct measurement of the pressure in terms of millimeters of mercury.

In medical contexts, blood pressure readings are expressed in mmHg (systolic pressure) over mmHg (diastolic pressure). For example:

• A blood pressure reading of 120/80 mmHg means that the systolic pressure is 120 mmHg and the diastolic pressure is 80 mmHg.

The use of mmHg as a unit of measurement has been largely replaced by other units, such as kilopascals (kPa), in scientific and technical applications. However, it remains a widely recognized and used unit in medical and physiological contexts.