Physics

Difference Between Force and Pressure

There can be a big difference between force and pressure, even though both are creations of physics. To understand the difference, we need to understand the definition and how it was used. Force is the action of push and pull resulting from a change in speed or direction, and pressure is the force of a body per unit area.

Definition Force and Pressure

A force produced by the interaction of two objects, changes or tends to change the current state of the object, and that tensile or pulling force is a vector quantity, i.e. its size and direction. The magnitude of the force determines the amount of force applied to an object.

The force applied per unit surface area is called pressure. Simply put, a force acting perpendicular to the surface of a field is transmitted along that field. When force is applied to a larger surface area, the pressure is lower, and when force is applied to a smaller area, the pressure is higher.

Difference Between Force and Pressure

Force	Pressure
The push and pull action results in the acceleration of the object.	The force applied perpendicular to the surface of an object per unit area over which that force is distributed.
Its SI unit is newton and is represented by N.	Its SI unit is pascal and is represented as Pa.
The instrument to measure force is called a dynamometer.	The two main instruments used to measure pressure are manometers and barometers. In relation to the prevailing atmospheric pressure, the barometer measures pressure. A manometer is used for measuring the fluid pressure with respect to an outside source which is usually considered to be the earth’s atmosphere.
Force is a vector quantity which means it has direction along with magnitude.	The pressure is a scalar quantity which means it does not have a direction.
Force can be acted upon on the face, edges, side or vertices of the object.	Pressure only acts on the surface or face of the object.
The velocity of an object can be changed with the application of force in one direction.	Pressure on the object won’t change the direction of the object.