Converting Pounds Per Square Inch or PSI to Pascals

This example problem demonstrates how to convert the pressure unit pounds per square inch (psi) to pascals (Pa).

Problem:

The average air pressure at sea level is 14.6 psi. What is this pressure in Pa?

Solution:

1 psi = 6894.7 Pa

Set up the conversion so the desired unit will be cancelled out. In this case, we want Pa to be the remaining unit.

pressure in Pa = (pressure in psi) x (6894.7 Pa/1 psi)
pressure in Pa = (14.6 x 6894.7) Pa
pressure in Pa = 100662.7 Pa

Answer:

The average sea level air pressure is 100662.7 Pa or 1.0 x 10⁵ Pa.