piezoelectric effect

American  

noun

1. the property exhibited by some nonconducting crystals of becoming electrically polarized when mechanically strained and of becoming mechanically strained when an electric field is applied.

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piezoelectric effect British  

/ paɪˌiːzəʊɪlɛkˈtrɪsɪtɪ /

noun

1. physics

   1. the production of electricity or electric polarity by applying a mechanical stress to certain crystals

   2. the converse effect in which stress is produced in a crystal as a result of an applied potential difference

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piezoelectric effect Scientific  

/ pī-ē′zō-ĭ-lĕk′trĭk /

1. The generation of an electric charge in certain nonconducting materials, such as quartz crystals and ceramics, when they are subjected to mechanical stress (such as pressure or vibration), or the generation of vibrations in such materials when they are subjected to an electric field. Piezoelectric materials exposed to a fairly constant electric field tend to vibrate at a precise frequency with very little variation, making them useful as time-keeping devices in electronic clocks, as used in wristwatches and computers.

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Other Word Forms

• piezoelectrically adverb

Example Sentences

At the heart of its tech is something called the piezoelectric effect.

From BBC

But they usually employ the piezoelectric effect, whereby an alternating electric current causes them to vibrate if transmitters or, if receivers, to generate an electric current in response to vibration.

From Economist

The machines exploit the piezoelectric effect of some crystals, whereby they expand when a voltage is applied, moving a lever that then pushes plastic pins through a series of holes.

From BBC

A nifty bit of physics called the piezoelectric effect, by which certain materials generate an electric current when stressed, offers a way around that.

From Economist

The researchers stacked sheets of viruses on top of one another to amplify the piezoelectric effect.

From Scientific American