Is air pressure same as atmospheric pressure?

Answer 1

Air pressure is a measure of the force of per square unit exerted on the surface of an object, and is fairly straightforward to calculate: Pressure = Force/Area. This force is directly proportional to the temperature and density of the gas (increasing either increases the force applied). Air pressure is the same on all sides of an object, and produces no net force on the object.

Air resistance is the force applied by a gas to an object moving in the gas. This force is in the direction opposite of the object's motion, and is caused by the object being bombarded by gas molecules as it moves.

One way to think about it is that each molecule of gas the object comes into contact with must be displaced if the object is to continue moving. It requires energy to move the mass of the gas molecule. This energy comes from the moving object, which transfers a very minute portion of it's momentum to the gas molecule. Even though molecules are extremely small and light, these collisions add up on a large scale, since there are over a billion, billion, billion air molecules per cubic centimeter. Calculating air resistance is much more involved than calculating air pressure, involving some advanced mathematical concepts. It is, however, partially dependent on air pressure.

In short, increased air pressure increases air resistance for a moving object, but the two concepts are not the same.

Answer 2

Yes, air pressure and atmospheric pressure are often used interchangeably. Atmospheric pressure is the force exerted by the weight of the air above a given point, and this pressure is what we feel as air pressure.

Answer 3

Yes, air pressure is just another way of saying atmospheric pressure.