electron
Also called negatron. Physics, Chemistry. an elementary particle that is a fundamental constituent of matter, having a negative charge of 1.602 × 10−19 coulombs, a mass of 9.108 × 10−31 kilograms, and spin of ½, and existing independently or as the component outside the nucleus of an atom.
Electricity. a unit of charge equal to the charge on one electron.
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Origin of electron
1Words Nearby electron
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use electron in a sentence
More about partons — Science News, February 13, 1971Experiments in which protons and neutrons were bombarded with high-energy electrons have given indications that protons and neutrons are not amorphous masses but composed of distinct subparticles.
50 years ago, scientists were on a quest for quarks | Maria Temming | February 12, 2021 | Science NewsWhen a photon crossed each molecule, it booted an electron — first from one hydrogen atom, then the other.
Physicists have clocked the shortest time span ever | Maria Temming | January 29, 2021 | Science News For StudentsMeasurements made with hydrogen atoms, which have a single electron orbiting a proton, gave us one answer.
Unstable helium adds a limit on the ongoing saga of the proton’s size | John Timmer | January 27, 2021 | Ars TechnicaThis part of the sky contains a high density of free ions and electrons, and when the electrons collide with other particles, energy is released as light and elves take form.
Rare ‘blue jet’ lightning spotted and photographed from space | Erin Fennessy | January 26, 2021 | Popular-ScienceExamining thin sections of the graft with electron microscopy, he saw that the cells had openings larger than any previously seen.
Plant Cells of Different Species Can Swap Organelles | Viviane Callier | January 20, 2021 | Quanta Magazine
You have the atom, which has the neutron, the electron, the proton.
But with an electron micgrograph to illustrate what was fueling the outbreak, they were able to gain the trust of the people.
When the gamma rays enter the sleeve, they interact with that photon gas, annihilating into electron-positron pairs.
Back in 1897, British physicist J.J. Thomson discovered the electron, which, as of then, was the biggest finding of all time.
No one imagined in 1897 what the electron would do, or how it would change humanity.
The loss of one electron by an atom leaves a unit positive charge on the particle.
The Elements of Qualitative Chemical Analysis, vol. 1, parts 1 and 2. | Julius StieglitzThe electron is a stress in the ether, nothing more, but it is the stuff of which all matter is made.
"I think I am getting somewhere on my photon-neutrino-electron interchange-cycle," he announced.
The Mercenaries | Henry Beam PiperOr there may be an inelastic collision, when the photon hits an atom and knocks out an electron—the old photoelectric effect.
The Mercenaries | Henry Beam PiperThe Greek name for amber, ηλεκτρον (electron), is the root from which our word electricity is derived.
The New Gresham Encyclopedia | Various
British Dictionary definitions for electron
/ (ɪˈlɛktrɒn) /
a stable elementary particle present in all atoms, orbiting the nucleus in numbers equal to the atomic number of the element in the neutral atom; a lepton with a negative charge of 1.602 176 462 × 10 –19 coulomb, a rest mass of 9.109 381 88 × 10 –31 kilogram, a radius of 2.817 940 285 × 10 –15 metre, and a spin of 1/2
Origin of electron
1Collins 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 electron
[ ĭ-lĕk′trŏn′ ]
A stable elementary particle in the lepton family having a mass at rest of 9.107 X 10-28 grams and a negative electric charge of approximately 1.602 X 10-19 coulombs. Electrons orbit about the positively charged nuclei of atoms in distinct orbitals of different energy levels, called shells. Electrons are the primary charge carriers in electric current. Compare positron. See also electromagnetism elementary particle ion. See Table at subatomic particle.
A positron or a negatron.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Cultural definitions for electron
[ (i-lek-tron) ]
An elementary particle with a negative charge and a very small mass. Electrons are normally found in orbits around the nucleus of an atom. The chemical reactions that an atom undergoes depend primarily on the electrons in the outermost orbits (the valence electrons).
Notes for electron
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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