work function

noun

Physics. the least energy necessary to free an electron from a metal surface.

Words nearby work function

work camp, work ethic, work expands to fill the time available for its completion, work farm, work force, work function, work in, work it, work like a beaver, work like a charm, work of art

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British Dictionary definitions for work function

work function

noun

physics the minimum energy required to transfer an electron from a point within a solid to a point just outside its surfaceSymbol: φ, Φ

thermodynamics another name (not now used because of confusion with sense 1) for Helmholtz function

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