Atmosphere to Bar Converter
Convert from Atmosphere (atm) to Bar
Understanding Atmosphere and Bar
The atmosphere (atm) is a unit of pressure approximately equal to Earth's atmospheric pressure at sea level.
- 1 atm = 101,325 pascals (Pa)
- 1 atm = 760 mmHg (torr)
- 1 atm = 14.6959 PSI
- Used primarily in scientific contexts, particularly in chemistry, thermodynamics, and fluid mechanics
The bar is a metric unit of pressure, though not part of the International System of Units (SI).
- 1 bar = 100,000 pascals (Pa)
- 1 bar = 0.986923 atm
- 1 bar = 14.5038 PSI
- Widely used in meteorology, engineering, and many industrial applications
Conversion Formula
Atmosphere to Bar:
bar = atm × 1.01325
To convert from atmospheres to bar, multiply the atmosphere value by approximately 1.01325.
Bar to Atmosphere:
atm = bar × 0.986923
To convert from bar to atmospheres, multiply the bar value by approximately 0.986923.
Atmosphere to Bar Conversion Table
| Atmosphere (atm) | Bar |
|---|---|
| 0.5 | 0.5066 |
| 1.0 | 1.0132 |
| 1.5 | 1.5199 |
| 2.0 | 2.0265 |
| 2.5 | 2.5331 |
| 3.0 | 3.0398 |
| 3.5 | 3.5464 |
| 4.0 | 4.0530 |
| 4.5 | 4.5596 |
| 5.0 | 5.0663 |
Historical Context and Applications
Historical Development
The concept of atmospheric pressure was first recognized in the 17th century through experiments by scientists like Evangelista Torricelli and Blaise Pascal. The standard atmosphere (atm) was formally established in the early 20th century as a standardized unit of pressure based on the average air pressure at sea level. The bar unit was introduced by Norwegian meteorologist Vilhelm Bjerknes in 1900 and was designed to be approximately equal to atmospheric pressure at sea level (1.013 bar), making it convenient for meteorological applications.
Common Applications
- Atmosphere (atm): Commonly used in chemistry and physics, particularly in gas laws and thermodynamics. The atmosphere unit provides a convenient reference point for expressing relative pressures in theoretical calculations and laboratory settings.
- Bar: Widely used in meteorology for reporting atmospheric pressure, industrial applications like hydraulic systems, and engineering contexts. The bar and its subunit millibar (mbar) are standard in weather forecasting and European technical specifications.
Practical Examples
- Standard atmospheric pressure: 1 atm (1.01325 bar)
- Strong high pressure system: 1.04 atm (1.05378 bar)
- Typical low pressure system: 0.97 atm (0.98285 bar)
- Pressure at 10m underwater: 2 atm (2.0265 bar)
- Pressure in car tires: 2.04-2.38 atm (2.07 to 2.41 bar)
- Enter your value in the atmosphere (atm) field
- The converter instantly displays the equivalent in bar
- Use the swap button to convert from bar to atmospheres instead
- Results are displayed with 6 decimal places for precision
- For quick reference without calculations, refer to the conversion table above
This converter is particularly useful for scientists translating between chemistry textbooks (which often use atm) and engineering specifications (which often use bar), or for anyone working across different pressure measurement systems.