Gigapascs

Gigapascs is a term that is sometimes used to refer to gigapascals, a unit of pressure equal to one billion pascals. The standard SI unit for pressure is the pascal (Pa), and the widely used derived unit is the gigapascal (GPa). The form “gigapascs” is not an official or widely accepted term; the proper singular is gigapascal and the plural is gigapascals, with GPa as the common abbreviation.

Definition and conversions: 1 gigapascal equals 1 × 10^9 pascals. In practical terms, 1 GPa is 1000 MPa, about 10,000 bar, and roughly 145,038 psi. This scale is commonly used to describe mechanical properties of solids, such as Young’s modulus or tensile strength, rather than typical fluid pressures at atmospheric conditions.

Applications: The gigapascal is frequently employed in materials science, geology, and engineering. Materials with high stiffness or strength are often described in GPa; for example, steel typically has a Young’s modulus around 200 GPa, carbon fiber composites span a broad range, and diamond can exceed 1000 GPa. In high-pressure physics, pressures in the GPa range are relevant for shock experiments and for understanding planetary interiors.

Standards and usage: The gigapascal is a valid SI-derived unit, commonly abbreviated as GPa. While “gigapascs” may appear in informal writing or as a shorthand, it is not an official term and is rarely used in technical literature. The standard practice is to use “gigapascal” or the symbol GPa.