Poise (unit)
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Poise Unit
poise
Unit systemCentimetre-gram-second system of units
Unit ofDynamic viscosity
SymbolP
Named afterJean Léonard Marie Poiseuille
Conversions
CGS base units1 g?cm-1?s-1
SI units0.1 Pa?s

The poise (symbol P; ) is the unit of dynamic viscosity (absolute viscosity) in the centimetre-gram-second system of units.[1] It is named after Jean Léonard Marie Poiseuille (see Hagen-Poiseuille equation).

${\displaystyle 1~{\text{P}}=0.1~{\text{kg}}{\cdot }{\text{m}}^{-1}{\cdot }{\text{s}}^{-1}=1~{\text{g}}{\cdot }{\text{cm}}^{-1}{\cdot }{\text{s}}^{-1}=1~{\text{dyn}}{\cdot }{\text{s}}{\cdot }{\text{cm}}^{-2}.}$

The analogous unit in the International System of Units is the pascal-second (Pa?s):[2]

${\displaystyle 1~{\text{Pa}}{\cdot }{\text{s}}=1~{\text{N}}{\cdot }{\text{s}}{\cdot }{\text{m}}^{-2}=1~{\text{kg}}{\cdot }{\text{m}}^{-1}{\cdot }{\text{s}}^{-1}=10~{\text{P}}.}$

The poise is often used with the metric prefix centi- because the viscosity of water at 20 °C (NTP) is almost exactly 1 centipoise.[3] A centipoise is one hundredth of a poise, or one millipascal-second (mPa?s) in SI units (1 cP = 10-3 Pa?s = 1 mPa?s).[4]

The CGS symbol for the centipoise is cP. The abbreviations cps, cp, and cPs are sometimes seen.

Liquid water has a viscosity of 0.00890 P at 25 °C at a pressure of 1 atmosphere (0.00890 P = 0.890 cP = 0.890 mPa?s).[5]