Which one of the following devices is used to measure atmospheric pressure ?

Atmospheric pressure is the force exerted by the weight of a column of air on the Earth's surface [4]. The scientific instrument used to measure this pressure is the barometer [1]. Invented in 1643 by Evangelista Torricelli, the barometer traditionally used a column of mercury to register pressure changes, though modern versions include the portable aneroid barometer which uses a vacuum-sealed metal chamber [3]. Common units for these measurements include millibars (mb), atmospheres (atm), and Pascals (Pa) [5]. In contrast, other options serve different functions: an ammeter measures electrical current, a potentiometer measures electric potential or electromotive force, and a lactometer is used to determine the purity of milk by measuring its density. Therefore, the barometer is the specific device for atmospheric monitoring and weather forecasting [5].

Sources

1. [2] Certificate Physical and Human Geography , GC Leong (Oxford University press 3rd ed.) > Chapter 13: Weather > The Elements of Weather and Climate > p. 116
2. [4] Physical Geography by PMF IAS, Manjunath Thamminidi, PMF IAS (1st ed.) > Chapter 23: Pressure Systems and Wind System > 23.1. Atmospheric Pressure > p. 304
3. [1] Exploring Society:India and Beyond ,Social Science-Class VII . NCERT(Revised ed 2025) > Chapter 2: Understanding the Weather > THINK ABOUT IT > p. 35
4. [3] Certificate Physical and Human Geography , GC Leong (Oxford University press 3rd ed.) > Chapter 13: Weather > The Elements of Weather and Climate > p. 117
5. [5] https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/barometer/