photoelectric effect
the phenomenon in which the absorption of electromagnetic radiation, as light, of sufficiently high frequency by a surface, usually metallic, induces the emission of electrons from the surface.
Origin of photoelectric effect
1- Also called photoemission.
Words Nearby photoelectric effect
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use photoelectric effect in a sentence
Or there may be an inelastic collision, when the photon hits an atom and knocks out an electron—the old photoelectric effect.
The Mercenaries | Henry Beam Piper
British Dictionary definitions for photoelectric effect
the ejection of electrons from a solid by an incident beam of sufficiently energetic electromagnetic radiation
any phenomenon involving electricity and electromagnetic radiation, such as photoemission
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Scientific definitions for photoelectric effect
The emission of electrons from a material, such as a metal, as a result of being struck by photons. Some substances, such as selenium, are particularly susceptible to this effect. The photoelectric effect is used in photoelectric and solar cells to create an electric potential. Also called photoemission
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Cultural definitions for photoelectric effect
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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