photoelectric effect

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noun Physics.

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.

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Also called photoemission.

Origin of photoelectric effect

First recorded in 1890–95

Words nearby photoelectric effect

photodynamics, photoelasticity, photoelectric, photoelectric cell, photoelectric current, photoelectric effect, photoelectricity, photoelectric magnitude, photoelectric meter, photoelectric threshold, photoelectron

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use photoelectric effect in a sentence

In Israel, however, a new law took effect January 1st that banned the use of underweight models.
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But they say its effect on the regular daily operation of organized crime has been negligible.
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All of these increased barriers then have a snowball effect.
Random Hook-Ups or Dry Spells: Why Millennials Flunk College Dating|Ellie Schaack|January 1, 2015|DAILY BEAST
So now the company is asking the FCC to, in effect, reverse itself.
How ‘Ethical’ Hotel Chain Marriott Gouges Guests in the Name of Wi-Fi Security|Kyle Chayka|December 31, 2014|DAILY BEAST

A revised version of the law goes into effect on January 1st, 2015.
Propaganda, Protest, and Poisonous Vipers: The Cinema War in Korea|Rich Goldstein|December 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In this case, I suspect, there was co-operant a strongly marked childish characteristic, the love of producing an effect.
Children's Ways|James Sully
He shrank, as from some one who inflicted pain as a child, unwittingly, to see what the effect would be.
The Wave|Algernon Blackwood
And so this is why the clever performer cannot reproduce the effect of a speech of Demosthenes or Daniel Webster.
Expressive Voice Culture|Jessie Eldridge Southwick
The well-known "cock and bull" stories of small children are inspired by this love of strong effect.
Children's Ways|James Sully
She stabbed him, noting the effect upon him with a detached interest that seemed indifferent to his pain.
The Wave|Algernon Blackwood

British Dictionary definitions for photoelectric effect

photoelectric effect

noun

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

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

Cultural definitions for photoelectric effect

photoelectric effect

The emission of electrons from a metal when light shines on it. The effect is widely used to convert a light signal into an electric current (see also current).