photoelectric cell

American  

noun

Electronics.

1. photocell.

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photoelectric cell British  

noun

1. another name for photocell

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photoelectric cell Scientific  

1. An electronic device having an electrical output that varies in response to the strength of incident electromagnetic radiation, especially visible light. Photoelectric cells make use of the photoelectric effect, in which electrons are displaced by photons in substances such as silicon or selenium to generate a voltage in response to radiation. Photoelectric cells are used to detect light electronically in cameras and night vision apparatus and to generate electrical power in solar cells.

2. Also called photovoltaic cell

3. See also solar cell

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Etymology

Origin of photoelectric cell

First recorded in 1890–95

Example Sentences

Afterwards, he set up an experiment in his lab, involving an accelerometer, a scuba diving cap, two light beams, two mirrors, a photoelectric cell, and a lot of string.

From The Guardian • Nov. 18, 2020

So Dr. Whitford hitched another photoelectric cell to a telescope, this time Mt.

From Time Magazine Archive

Clamped on the translucent cartilage of a pilot's ear, a tiny light bulb emitting red and infra-red rays will shine through the ear lobe to illuminate a small photoelectric cell.

From Time Magazine Archive

Only 200 feet away, a parabolic mirror points overhead to gather the searchlight's reflected glow and focus it on a photoelectric cell.

From Time Magazine Archive

Light rays are reflected from the suspended particles to the sensitive plate of a photoelectric cell; this generates a current of electricity which causes a deflection on a galvanometer.

From Myology and Serology of the Avian Family Fringillidae A Taxonomic Study by Stallcup, William B.