Pressure is a scalar quantity because

it is the ratio of force to area and both force and area are vectors

it is the ratio of magnitude of force to area

it is the ratio of component of force (normal to area) to area

none of the above

Answer is Right!

Answer is Wrong!

This question was previously asked in

UPSC NDA-2 – 2016

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Pressure is defined as the force acting perpendicular to a unit area ($P = F_{\perp}/A$). Although force is a vector, pressure is a scalar quantity because it is defined based on the magnitude of the force component normal to the surface and the magnitude of the area.

Pressure at a point in a fluid acts equally in all directions (Pascal’s principle), which is characteristic of a scalar quantity.

Option A is incorrect because the definition combines vectors in a way that yields a scalar. Option B is incorrect because it doesn’t specify the component of force normal to the area. Option C accurately reflects the scalar nature of pressure by defining it using the magnitude of the normal force component per unit area.

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