compressibility

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compressibility

physics

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June 24, 2026

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In physics, compression refers to the decrease in volume of any object or substance when subjected to applied stress. This phenomenon can occur in solids, liquids, and gases. The bulk modulus quantifies a material's resistance to uniform compression, essentially measuring its incompressibility. A substance that is easily compressed has high compressibility, while one that is difficult to compress has low compressibility and a high bulk modulus. Compression can lead to significant changes in a material's physical properties, such as electric conductivity and volume, especially under high pressure. In aerodynamics, the "compressibility effect" describes changes in an airplane's behavior when its speed approaches the local speed of sound. Data compression, a related but distinct concept, involves reducing the amount of data needed for storage or transmission.12345

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fluid mechanics
Basic properties of fluids
…this is described by the compressibility of the fluid—either the isothermal compressibility, β_T, or the adiabatic compressibility, β_S, according to circumstance. When an element of fluid is compressed, the work done on it tends to heat it up. If the heat has time to drain away to the surroundings and…
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…this is described by the compressibility of the fluid—either the isothermal compressibility, β_T, or the adiabatic compressibility, β_S, according to circumstance. When an element of fluid is compressed, the work done on it tends to heat it up. If the heat has time to drain away to the surroundings and…
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liquid
Behaviour of substances near critical and triple points
239 calorie), and a low compressibility (0.5–1 × 10^-4 per bar). The compressibility falls to values characteristic of a solid (0.1 × 10^-4 per bar or less) as the pressure increases. A simple and widely used equation describes the change of specific volume with pressure. If V(p) is the volume…
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239 calorie), and a low compressibility (0.5–1 × 10^-4 per bar). The compressibility falls to values characteristic of a solid (0.1 × 10^-4 per bar or less) as the pressure increases. A simple and widely used equation describes the change of specific volume with pressure. If V(p) is the volume…
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seawater
Density of seawater and pressure
Increasing density values demonstrate the compressibility of seawater under the tremendous pressures present in the deep ocean. If seawater were incompressible, each cubic centimetre of water in the water column would expand, and density values at all depths would be equal. If the average pressure occurring at a depth of…
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Increasing density values demonstrate the compressibility of seawater under the tremendous pressures present in the deep ocean. If seawater were incompressible, each cubic centimetre of water in the water column would expand, and density values at all depths would be equal. If the average pressure occurring at a depth of…
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soil mechanics
…shear, or slide along planes; compressibility (the degree to which soil may be made denser by various means including tamping and vibration, and thus able to support greater loads); elasticity (the ability of soil to reexpand after being compressed); permeability (the degree to which a soil will conduct a flow…
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…shear, or slide along planes; compressibility (the degree to which soil may be made denser by various means including tamping and vibration, and thus able to support greater loads); elasticity (the ability of soil to reexpand after being compressed); permeability (the degree to which a soil will conduct a flow…
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V. Walfrid Ekman
…empirical formula for the mean compressibility (compression ratio divided by pressure) of seawater as a function of pressure and temperature. This formula is still in use today to determine density of deep seawater which is compressed by hydrostatic pressure.
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…empirical formula for the mean compressibility (compression ratio divided by pressure) of seawater as a function of pressure and temperature. This formula is still in use today to determine density of deep seawater which is compressed by hydrostatic pressure.
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