Kilopascals

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A unit of pressure equal to one thousand pascals, often used in meteorology and engineering contexts
2. Referring to a measurement of force exerted over an area, where one kilopascal represents 1,000 newtons per square meter
3. Indicating a common unit for expressing pressure, particularly in settings related to atmospheric pressure or material strength

Etymology: Kilopascals is simply the plural of "kilopascal," so the real story lies in its two parts. The prefix "kilo-" comes from the Greek "chilioi," meaning thousand, and it marks a factor of one thousand in the metric system. The base unit, the pascal, is named after the French mathematician and physicist Blaise Pascal, whose work on fluids and pressure made him a natural namesake for the unit of pressure. Put together, one kilopascal equals one thousand pascals. Because a pascal is a fairly small amount of pressure, the larger unit is the more practical choice for everyday measurements. Atmospheric pressure at sea level, for example, is roughly 101 kilopascals, which is why the unit turns up so often in weather reports and engineering specifications.