Convert Technical atmosphere to Gigapascal

The Technical Atmosphere (symbol: at) is a unit of pressure that is not part of the International System of Units (SI) but is still used in some contexts, particularly in engineering. It represents the pressure exerted by a 1-kilogram force over an area of 1 square centimeter.

1. Defined Value:

   • 1 technical atmosphere (at) is defined as 98,066.5 pascals (Pa), which is equivalent to 98.0665 kilopascals (kPa) or approximately 0.9678 Standard Atmospheres (atm).

2. Basis of Definition:

   • The technical atmosphere is based on the idea of the force exerted by gravity on a mass of 1 kilogram over a specific area. Specifically, it considers a standard gravitational acceleration of 9.80665 meters per second squared (m/s²).

3. Usage:

   • The technical atmosphere is sometimes used in engineering fields, particularly in Europe, for expressing pressures in contexts like hydraulics, pneumatics, and other areas involving mechanical forces.
   • Although less common today, it might still be encountered in older documents, manuals, or in industries where legacy systems or traditional units are in use.

4. Comparison with Other Units:

   • The technical atmosphere is slightly less than the Pressure Standard Atmosphere (1 atm), which is 101,325 pascals. This means that 1 at is about 96.78% of 1 atm.
   • It’s important to note the distinction between the technical atmosphere and the standard atmosphere, as they represent slightly different pressure values.

5. Historical Context:

   • The technical atmosphere was more commonly used before the widespread adoption of the SI unit system, which uses the pascal (Pa) as the standard unit for pressure. As such, its use has declined in favor of SI units, but it remains relevant in certain specialized contexts.

In summary, the Technical Atmosphere (at) is a unit of pressure defined as the pressure exerted by a 1-kilogram force over an area of 1 square centimeter. Although not an SI unit, it has been used historically in engineering and is still encountered in some specialized applications.

Gigapascal (GPa) is a unit of pressure in the International System of Units (SI) that is used to measure extremely high pressures.

Pressure is the amount of force applied over a certain area. For example, when you squeeze an object, you apply pressure to it. Understanding pressure is important in science, engineering, and material science, especially when dealing with very strong forces or very hard materials.

Gigapascal (GPa) is a way to measure this pressure, and the term "giga" means one billion, so:

• 1 Gigapascal (GPa) is equal to 1,000,000,000 Pascals (Pa).

To understand this better, let’s first look at what a Pascal (Pa) is:

• Pascal (Pa): One Pascal is the pressure created when a force of one newton (N) is applied evenly over an area of one square meter (m²). A newton is a unit of force, and a square meter is a unit of area.

Since a Pascal is a very small unit, using gigapascals allows us to measure and express extremely high pressures that occur in specialized applications, like studying very hard materials or designing advanced engineering structures.

Here are some examples of where gigapascals are used:

• Material Science: The hardness and strength of materials, like diamonds or advanced ceramics, are often measured in gigapascals. For example, the hardness of diamond, one of the hardest known materials, is about 60 to 120 GPa.
• Geophysics: Gigapascals are used to describe the enormous pressures found deep within the Earth, such as in the Earth’s mantle and core.
• High-Pressure Experiments: Scientists use gigapascals to study how materials behave under extreme conditions, such as in the development of new super-hard materials or in simulating conditions found in other planets.

In summary, Gigapascal (GPa) is a unit of pressure that equals 1,000,000,000 Pascals. It is used to measure extremely high pressures, especially in fields like material science, geophysics, and advanced engineering, where understanding how materials behave under extreme forces is crucial.