Converting Pounds Per Square Inch or PSI to Atmospheres

Worked Pressure Unit Conversion Problem

Need to fill up your bicycle tires? It's helpful to know how to convert between PSI and atm!
Need to fill up your bicycle tires? It's helpful to know how to convert between PSI and atm!. Susanna Price, Getty Images
By
Anne Marie Helmenstine, Ph.D.
Anne Marie Helmenstine, Ph.D.
Chemistry Expert
  • Ph.D., Biomedical Sciences, University of Tennessee at Knoxville
  • B.A., Physics and Mathematics, Hastings College
Dr. Helmenstine holds a Ph.D. in biomedical sciences and is a science writer, educator, and consultant. She has taught science courses at the high school, college, and graduate levels.
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Updated on May 09, 2019

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

PSI to Atm Problem

A bicycle tire is inflated to 65 psi. What is this pressure in atmospheres?
Solution:
1 atm = 14.696 psi
Set up the conversion so the desired unit will be canceled out. In this case, we want atm to be the remaining unit.
pressure in atm = (pressure in psi) x (1 atm/14.696 psi)
pressure in atm = (65/14.696) atm
pressure in atm = 4.423 atm
Answer:
The average sea level air pressure is 4.423 atm.

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Your Citation
Helmenstine, Anne Marie, Ph.D. "Converting Pounds Per Square Inch or PSI to Atmospheres." ThoughtCo, Jul. 29, 2021, thoughtco.com/pounds-per-square-inch-or-psi-to-atmospheres-608948. Helmenstine, Anne Marie, Ph.D. (2021, July 29). Converting Pounds Per Square Inch or PSI to Atmospheres. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/pounds-per-square-inch-or-psi-to-atmospheres-608948 Helmenstine, Anne Marie, Ph.D. "Converting Pounds Per Square Inch or PSI to Atmospheres." ThoughtCo. https://www.thoughtco.com/pounds-per-square-inch-or-psi-to-atmospheres-608948 (accessed March 28, 2023).