Thomson effect

American

noun

Physics.

the tendency of unevenly heated segments of a strip of a conductor to increase or decrease in temperature differences when an electric current is passed through the strip.

Thomson effect British

noun

physics the phenomenon in which a temperature gradient along a metallic (or semiconductor) wire or strip causes an electric potential gradient to form along its length

"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

Etymology

Origin of Thomson effect

Named after Sir W. Thomson

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

However, this absorption and evolution of heat was investigated experimentally and mathematically by Thomson, and is generally now referred to in thermoelectric discussions as the "Thomson effect."

From Project Gutenberg

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023