Millibar to Pascal Converter
Convert from Millibar (mbar) to Pascal (Pa)
Understanding Millibar and Pascal
The millibar (mbar) is a metric unit of pressure equal to 1/1000 of a bar.
- 1 mbar = 100 pascals (Pa) = 0.1 kPa
- Standard atmospheric pressure is approximately 1013.25 mbar
- Widely used in meteorology worldwide, especially in weather forecasting
The pascal (Pa) is the SI unit of pressure, defined as one newton per square meter.
- Named after Blaise Pascal, a French mathematician and physicist
- A very small unit - atmospheric pressure is about 101,325 Pa
- Often used with prefixes: kilopascal (kPa), megapascal (MPa)
Conversion Formula
Millibar to Pascal:
Pa = mbar × 100
To convert from millibars to pascals, multiply the millibar value by 100.
Pascal to Millibar:
mbar = Pa ÷ 100
To convert from pascals to millibars, divide the pascal value by 100.
Millibar to Pascal Conversion Table
| Millibar (mbar) | Pascal (Pa) |
|---|---|
| 100 | 10,000 |
| 200 | 20,000 |
| 300 | 30,000 |
| 400 | 40,000 |
| 500 | 50,000 |
| 600 | 60,000 |
| 700 | 70,000 |
| 800 | 80,000 |
| 900 | 90,000 |
| 1,000 | 100,000 |
Historical Context and Applications
Historical Development
The millibar emerged from the bar unit, which was introduced in 1909 by Norwegian meteorologist Vilhelm Bjerknes. The millibar quickly became popular in meteorology. The pascal was named after Blaise Pascal, whose 17th-century experiments significantly advanced our understanding of pressure and vacuums. The pascal became the official SI unit of pressure in 1971, but the millibar remains in common use in meteorology.
Common Applications
- Millibar: Primarily used in meteorology for weather forecasting and reporting atmospheric pressure. Weather maps typically label isobars (lines of equal pressure) in millibars. Aviation weather reports also commonly use millibars.
- Pascal: Used in scientific and engineering applications. The pascal is the fundamental SI unit of pressure, but because it's quite small, it's often used with multipliers (kPa, MPa) for practical applications.
Practical Examples
- Standard atmospheric pressure: 1013.25 mbar (101,325 Pa)
- Strong high pressure system: 1030 mbar (103,000 Pa)
- Typical low pressure system: 990 mbar (99,000 Pa)
- Hurricane central pressure: <950 mbar (<95,000 Pa)
- Pressure at 10,000 ft altitude: ~700 mbar (70,000 Pa)
- Enter your value in the millibar (mbar) field
- The converter instantly displays the equivalent in pascals
- Use the swap button to convert from pascals to millibars instead
- Results are displayed with 6 decimal places for precision
For quick reference without calculations, refer to the conversion table above for common values.