Pressure measurement is the measurement of an applied force by a fluid (liquid or gas) on a

surface. Pressure is typically measured in units of force per unit of surface area. Many techniques
have been developed for the measurement of pressure and vacuum. Instruments used to measure
and display pressure mechanically are called pressure gauges, vacuum gauges or compound
gauges (vacuum & pressure). The widely used Bourdon gauge is a mechanical device, which both
measures and indicates and is probably the best known type of gauge.
A vacuum gauge is used to measure pressures lower than the ambient atmospheric pressure, which
is set as the zero point, in negative values (for instance, −1 bar or −760 mmHg equals total vacuum).
Most gauges measure pressure relative to atmospheric pressure as the zero point, so this form of
reading is simply referred to as "gauge pressure". However, anything greater than total vacuum is
technically a form of pressure. For very low pressures, a gauge that uses total vacuum as the zero
point reference must be used, giving pressure reading as an absolute pressure.
Other methods of pressure measurement involve sensors that can transmit the pressure reading to a
remote indicator or control system (telemetry).

Absolute, gauge and differential pressures — zero

reference[edit]

Natural gas pressure gauge

silicon piezoresistive pressure sensors
Everyday pressure measurements, such as for vehicle tire pressure, are usually made relative to
ambient air pressure. In other cases measurements are made relative to a vacuum or to some other
specific reference. When distinguishing between these zero references, the following terms are
used:

 Absolute pressure is zero-referenced against a perfect vacuum, using an absolute scale, so it

is equal to gauge pressure plus atmospheric pressure. Absolute pressure sensors are used in
applications where a constant reference is required, like for example, high-performance
industrial applications such as monitoring vacuum pumps, liquid pressure measurement,
industrial packaging, industrial process control and aviation inspection.[1]
 Gauge pressure is zero-referenced against ambient air pressure, so it is equal to absolute
pressure minus atmospheric pressure. A tire pressure gauge is an example of gauge pressure
measurement; when it indicates zero, then the pressure it is measuring is the same as the
ambient pressure. Most sensors for measuring up to 50 bar are manufactured in this way, since
otherwise the atmospheric pressure fluctuation (weather) is reflected as an error in the
measurement result.
 Differential pressure is the difference in pressure between two points. Differential pressure
sensors are used to measure many properties, such as pressure drops across oil filters or air
filters, fluid levels (by comparing the pressure above and below the liquid) or flow rates (by
measuring the change in pressure across a restriction). Technically speaking, most pressure
 sensors are really differential pressure sensors; for example a gauge pressure sensor is merely
a differential pressure sensor in which one side is open to the ambient atmosphere.
The zero reference in use is usually implied by context, and these words are added only when
clarification is needed. Tire pressure and blood pressure are gauge pressures by convention,
while atmospheric pressures, deep vacuum pressures, and altimeter pressures must be absolute.