Which two units are commonly used to measure atmospheric pressure?

Which two units are commonly used to measure atmospheric pressure?

• A. Celsius and Fahrenheit
• B. Hectopascals (hPa) and Millibars
• C. Meters per second
• D. Kilopascals

Answer: (B)

Atmospheric pressure is reported in units that keep typical surface values around a practical number, which is why hectopascals and millibars are used. They are actually the same unit (1 hectopascal equals 1 millibar), so saying 1013 hPa is the same as 1013 mb. This makes weather data easy to read and compare on maps and forecasts, which is why these two units are the standard pair in meteorology. Temperature scales like Celsius and Fahrenheit measure heat, not pressure, so they don’t fit. Wind speed is measured in meters per second, which is also not a measure of pressure. Kilopascals are a valid pressure unit, but they’re less common in everyday weather reports, where hPa/mb are the preferred choices.

Atmospheric pressure is reported in units that keep typical surface values around a practical number, which is why hectopascals and millibars are used. They are actually the same unit (1 hectopascal equals 1 millibar), so saying 1013 hPa is the same as 1013 mb. This makes weather data easy to read and compare on maps and forecasts, which is why these two units are the standard pair in meteorology.

Temperature scales like Celsius and Fahrenheit measure heat, not pressure, so they don’t fit. Wind speed is measured in meters per second, which is also not a measure of pressure. Kilopascals are a valid pressure unit, but they’re less common in everyday weather reports, where hPa/mb are the preferred choices.