| kilopascals (kPa) | bar (bar) |
|---|---|
| 0 | 0 |
| 1 | 0.01 |
| 2 | 0.02 |
| 3 | 0.03 |
| 4 | 0.04 |
| 5 | 0.05 |
| 6 | 0.06 |
| 7 | 0.07 |
| 8 | 0.08 |
| 9 | 0.09 |
| 10 | 0.1 |
| 20 | 0.2 |
| 30 | 0.3 |
| 40 | 0.4 |
| 50 | 0.5 |
| 60 | 0.6 |
| 70 | 0.7 |
| 80 | 0.8 |
| 90 | 0.9 |
| 100 | 1 |
| 1000 | 10 |
Converting between kilopascals (kPa) and bar is a common task in various fields, particularly in engineering, physics, and meteorology, where pressure measurements are essential.
The bar is a metric unit of pressure, defined as exactly equal to 100,000 pascals (Pa). A pascal is the SI unit of pressure, defined as one newton per square meter (). Kilopascals (kPa) are simply 1000 pascals. Therefore, the relationship between kPa and bar is straightforward.
The key to converting between kilopascals and bar lies in understanding the relationship between them:
To convert 1 kilopascal to bar, use the following formula:
So, for 1 kPa:
To convert 1 bar to kilopascals, use the following formula:
So, for 1 bar:
While the pascal is the SI unit of pressure, the bar is often used due to its convenient scale relative to atmospheric pressure. Evangelista Torricelli, an Italian physicist, is often credited with the first creation of a sustained vacuum and is closely associated with early studies of atmospheric pressure. Although he did not directly define the "bar" (which came later), his experiments laid the groundwork for understanding and measuring pressure.
Tire Pressure: Tire pressure is often measured in both psi (pounds per square inch) and kPa, but sometimes bar is also used, especially in Europe. For example, a typical car tire might be inflated to 220 kPa, which is 2.2 bar.
Weather Reports: Atmospheric pressure is commonly reported in hectopascals (hPa), which are numerically equal to millibars (mbar). Standard atmospheric pressure at sea level is about 1013.25 hPa, or 1013.25 mbar, which is approximately 1.01325 bar.
SCUBA Diving: The pressure experienced by divers increases with depth. For every 10 meters (approximately 33 feet) of depth in seawater, the pressure increases by about 1 bar. So, at a depth of 30 meters, a diver experiences approximately 4 bar of pressure (1 bar from the atmosphere + 3 bar from the water).
Industrial Processes: In industrial settings, pumps, compressors, and hydraulic systems often operate at pressures measured in bars or kilopascals. For instance, a hydraulic press might operate at 200 bar (20,000 kPa).
Gas Cylinders: The pressure inside gas cylinders, such as those used for welding or medical purposes, is typically measured in bars. A full oxygen cylinder might have a pressure of 200 bar.
See below section for step by step unit conversion with formulas and explanations. Please refer to the table below for a list of all the bar to other unit conversions.
Here's a breakdown of what kilopascals are, their relation to pressure, and some real-world context.
Kilopascals (kPa) are a unit of pressure within the International System of Units (SI). Specifically, it's a multiple of the pascal (Pa), where "kilo" signifies a factor of one thousand. Therefore, 1 kPa equals 1000 Pascals.
Pressure is defined as the amount of force applied perpendicular to a surface per unit area over which that force is distributed. Mathematically, this can be expressed as:
Where:
The SI unit for pressure is the Pascal (Pa), which is equivalent to one Newton per square meter (). Since a Pascal is a relatively small unit, the kilopascal (kPa) is often used for more practical measurements.
The pascal (Pa) is derived from fundamental SI units: kilograms (kg), meters (m), and seconds (s). 1 Pa is defined as the pressure exerted by a force of 1 Newton (1 kg⋅m/s²) over an area of 1 square meter. Kilopascals simply multiply this pascal unit by 1000. Thus, 1 kPa = 1000
The unit "pascal" is named after Blaise Pascal, a 17th-century French mathematician, physicist, and philosopher. Pascal made significant contributions to the study of fluid pressure and its applications. Pascal's Law states that pressure applied to a confined fluid is transmitted equally in all directions throughout the fluid. This principle is crucial in hydraulic systems. Learn more about Blaise Pascal.
The bar is a metric unit of pressure, widely used in science, engineering, and industry. It's a convenient unit because it is close to standard atmospheric pressure on Earth. Below is detailed information about bar, it's origin, and some real-world examples.
The bar is defined as exactly Pascals (). The Pascal (Pa) is the SI unit of pressure, defined as one Newton per square meter (). Therefore:
The bar was introduced by British physicist Sir Napier Shaw in 1909. The goal was to have a unit of pressure that was close to atmospheric pressure but based on the metric system. The term "bar" comes from the Greek word "βάρος" (baros) meaning "weight."
Standard atmospheric pressure at sea level is approximately bar. Because of this proximity, the bar and millibar (1 mbar = 0.001 bar) are frequently used in meteorology to measure atmospheric pressure. Historically, meteorologists used millibars, but now the SI unit, the hectopascal (hPa), is also widely used (1 hPa = 1 mbar).
| Convert 1 kPa to other units | Result |
|---|---|
| kilopascals to pascals (kPa to Pa) | 1000 |
| kilopascals to megapascals (kPa to MPa) | 0.001 |
| kilopascals to hectopascals (kPa to hPa) | 10 |
| kilopascals to millibar (kPa to mbar) | 10 |
| kilopascals to bar (kPa to bar) | 0.01 |
| kilopascals to torr (kPa to torr) | 7.5006168270417 |
| kilopascals to meters of water @ 4°C (kPa to mH2O) | 0.1019716212978 |
| kilopascals to millimeters of mercury (kPa to mmHg) | 7.5006375541921 |
| kilopascals to pounds per square inch (kPa to psi) | 0.14503768078 |
| kilopascals to kilopound per square inch (kPa to ksi) | 0.00014503768078 |
| kilopascals to Inches of mercury (kPa to inHg) | 0.2952998057228 |