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photocell

[ foh-toh-sel ]
/ ˈfoʊ toʊˌsɛl /
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noun Electronics.
a solid-state device that converts light into electrical energy by producing a voltage, as in a photovoltaic cell, or uses light to regulate the flow of current, as in a photoconductive cell: used in automatic control systems for doors, lighting, etc.
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Origin of photocell

First recorded in 1890–95; photo- + cell
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use photocell in a sentence

  • A fast reading with the photocell gave me the apparent magnitude and a comparison with its absolute magnitude showed its distance.

    The Repairman|Harry Harrison

British Dictionary definitions for photocell

photocell
/ (ˈfəʊtəʊˌsɛl) /

noun
a device in which the photoelectric or photovoltaic effect or photoconductivity is used to produce a current or voltage when exposed to light or other electromagnetic radiation. They are used in exposure meters, burglar alarms, etcAlso called: photoelectric cell, electric eye
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 photocell

photocell
[ fōtō-sĕl′ ]

See photoresistor.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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