Main Entry: pas·cal

Pronunciation: \pas-ˈkal\

Function: noun

: a unit of pressure in the mks system equivalent to one newton per square meter or to 1.45 × 10⁻⁴ pounds per square inch

Pas·cal \pȧs-kȧl\ , Blaise (1623–1662), French mathematician, physicist, and religious philosopher. A mathematical prodigy as a child, Pascal completed an original treatise on conic sections by the time he was 16. He undertook the study of geometry, hydrodynamics, and hydrostatic and atmospheric pressure. From 1651 to 1654 he composed treatises on the weight and density of air, on Pascal's triangle, and on the equilibrium of liquid solutions. In this last treatise he formulated Pascal's law of pressure. He is also credited with laying the foundations for the theory of probability. Pascal is a major figure in French literature and religious philosophy.