Question

The unit of pressure in the SI system is the pascal. What is the SI name for 1 one-thousandth of a pascal?

Short answer

Answer: The name of the SI unit is "milli-pascal (mPa)".

Step-by-step solution

Understand the Prefixes in the International System of Units (SI)

SI prefixes are used to create multiples and submultiples of SI units. The prefix used for one thousandth (10^{-3}) is "milli" (m). So, we need to find the unit that is a milli-pascal.

Apply the Prefix to the Pascal Unit

Since the prefix for one thousandth is "milli", we apply this prefix to the pascal unit. This gives us "milli-pascal" and is represented as "mPa".

Final Answer

The SI name for one-thousandth of a pascal is the "milli-pascal (mPa)".

Key concepts

Pascal

The pascal, symbolized as Pa, is the International System of Units (SI) measure for pressure. It's named after the French mathematician and physicist Blaise Pascal. One pascal equals a force of one newton exerted over an area of one square meter. That is, \(1\text{ Pa}=1\text{ N/m}^2\).

Pressure, in simpler terms, can be understood as the force applied perpendicular to the surface of an object per unit area. This concept is crucial for understanding a variety of scientific phenomena, including atmospheric pressure, which affects weather patterns, and hydraulic pressure, which is utilized in machinery.

Milli-pascal

When you encounter pressures that are smaller than one pascal, submultiples of the unit are used. This is where milli-pascal (mPa) comes into play. The prefix 'milli' indicates that we're dealing with a thousandth of a pascal. So, \(1\text{ mPa}=0.001\text{ Pa}\).

Understanding the milli-pascal is important in fields where very low pressures are common, such as in certain scientific experiments or in the technology behind ultra-high vacuum systems. The milli-pascal helps in describing these minuscule pressures in a more comprehensible manner.

SI Prefixes

The SI prefixes are a series of prefixes to units in the International System of Units that denote multiples or fractions of the units. Common prefixes include 'kilo' for a thousand times, 'centi' for a hundredth, and 'milli' for a thousandth, among many others.

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Milli- corresponds to \(10^{-3}\) or 1/1,000.

Centi- corresponds to \(10^{-2}\) or 1/100.

Kilo- corresponds to \(10^{3}\) or 1,000.

Understanding these prefixes is crucial for grasping the scale of measurements reported in SI units, whether it's for distance, mass, pressure, or any other measure.

International System of Units

The International System of Units (SI) is a globally accepted system of measurements. Established in 1960, it provides standardization in scientific and technical fields. SI units have seven base units, which include the meter for length, kilogram for mass, second for time, and the pascal for pressure. These base units can be combined or modified with prefixes to cover a vast range of measurements.

Understanding SI units is vital for global communication in science, education, industry, and commerce. It ensures that measurements are consistent and comparable across different regions and disciplines.