Compressibility

Parameter used to calculate the volume change of a fluid or solid in response to pressure

In thermodynamics and fluid mechanics, the compressibility (also known as the coefficient of compressibility or, if the temperature is held constant, the isothermal compressibility) is a measure of the instantaneous relative volume change of a fluid or solid as a response to a pressure (or mean stress) change. In its simple form, the compressibility κ {\displaystyle \kappa } (denoted β in some fields) may be expressed as β = − 1 V ∂ V ∂ p {\displaystyle \beta =-{\frac {1}{V}}{\frac {\partial V}{\partial p}}} , where V is volume and p is pressure. The choice to define compressibility as the negative of the fraction makes compressibility positive in the (usual) case that an increase in pressure induces a reduction in volume.

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