Article
Article
Pressure
Article By:
Tavoularis, Stavros Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Ottawa, Ottowa, Canada.
Last reviewed:January 2020
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1036/1097-8542.543500
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- Pressure, published January 2014:Download PDF
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The perpendicular force applied over a unit area to an object's surface. Pressure on a surface immersed in a fluid is defined as the normal force per unit area. Pressure always tends to compress the object on which it acts. This definition identifies the static pressure, p. Another distinction is made between the absolute pressure, which is measured with respect to a perfect vacuum (that is, zero pressure), and the gauge pressure, which is measured with respect to the atmospheric value. See also: Force
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