1 bar: how many pascals and atmospheres?

The bar is a unit of pressure almost equal to atmospheric pressure at the mean sea level.

Its name originated from the Greek word baros, meaning ‘weight’. The bar was introduced by a 19th century Norwegian meteorologist and physicist, Vilhelm Bjerknes, who had laid the groundwork for the modern practice of weather forecasting.

Speaking of weather forecasts, we are accustomed to atmospheric pressure being stated in hPa (hectopascals) rather than bars; so what is the relation between various units of pressure: bar, pascal and atmosphere?

1 BAR =

100 000 Pa

1000 hPa

0.986923267 atm

Did you know?

1. The bar belongs to a system of units called CGS (centimetre-gram-second). CGS is a variant of SI (metric) system, in which: the centimetre is the base unit of length, gram: the base unit of mass and second: the unit of time.

2. Meteoropathy is a condition in which a person’s well-being is affected by the weather. Changes in humidity, temperature, pressure etc. may cause, for instance, mood swings, headaches, joint pain. Sudden drops in atmospheric pressure may also be connected to increased tendency towards depressive moods. Conversely, a higher than average pressure usually improves one’s well-being.

A person affected by meteoropathy is called a meteoropathic.

Does atmospheric pressure affect your mood?