Definition of photoelectric
: involving, relating to, or utilizing any of various electrical effects due to the interaction of radiation (such as light) with matter
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Recent Examples of photoelectric from the Web
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In other business, council authorized Fire Chief Patrick Sweeney to apply to the Federal Emergency Management Agency for a $25,000 Fire Prevention and Safety Grant to purchase optical or photoelectric smoke detectors.
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Classical physics held that light was a wave, but that theory couldn’t explain how and why metals emit electrons when illuminated—a phenomenon called the photoelectric effect.
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After spending about a bajillion chapters on optics, the authors start talking about the photoelectric effect.
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Genius is an in-depth dramatic look at the life and career of the theoretical physicist who, among other things, explained the photoelectric effect that made the invention of television possible.
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Genius is an in-depth dramatic look at the life and career of the theoretical physicist who, among other things, explained the photoelectric effect that made the invention of television possible.
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What Is the photoelectric Effect?
The photoelectric effect *occurs when light (or similar radiation such as X-rays) falls on a material such as a metal plate and causes it to emit electrons. The discovery of the photoelectric effect led to important new theories about matter (and to a Nobel Prize for Albert Einstein). *Photoelectric cells, *or *photocells, are used in burglar-alarm light detectors and garage-door openers (both employ a beam of light that is broken when something moves across it), and also to play soundtracks on movie film (where a light beam shines through the soundtrack encoded on the film and is "read" by the photocells).
Origin and Etymology of photoelectric
International Scientific Vocabulary
NEW! Time Traveler
First Known Use: circa 1879
in the meaning defined above
See Words from the same yearPHOTOELECTRIC Defined for English Language Learners
Definition of photoelectric for English Language Learners
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: involving, relating to, or using an electric current that is controlled by light
Medical Dictionary
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Spanish Central: Translation of photoelectric Nglish: Translation of photoelectric for Spanish speakers
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