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View synonyms for electron

electron

[ ih-lek-tron ]

noun

  1. Also called neg·a·tron [neg, -, uh, -tron]. 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.
  2. Electricity. a unit of charge equal to the charge on one electron.


electron

/ ɪˈlɛktrɒn /

noun

  1. 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 –19coulomb, a rest mass of 9.109 381 88 × 10 –31kilogram, a radius of 2.817 940 285 × 10 –15metre, and a spin of 1 2


electron

/ ĭ-lĕktrŏn′ /

  1. A stable elementary particle in the lepton family having a mass at rest of 9.107 × 10 -28 grams and a negative electric charge of approximately 1.602 × 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.
  2. Compare positronSee also electromagnetismSee Table at subatomic particle
  3. A positron or a negatron.


electron

  1. 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 ).


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Notes

The movement of large numbers of electrons through conductors constitutes an electric current .

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Word History and Origins

Origin of electron1

Term first suggested in 1891 by Irish physicist G. J. Stoney (1826–1911); electr(ic) + -on (from the names of charged particles, as ion, cation, anion ) with perhaps accidental allusion to Greek ḗlektron amber ( electric )

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Word History and Origins

Origin of electron1

C19: from electro- + -on

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Compare Meanings

How does electron compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

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Example Sentences

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.

When a photon crossed each molecule, it booted an electron — first from one hydrogen atom, then the other.

Measurements made with hydrogen atoms, which have a single electron orbiting a proton, gave us one answer.

This 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.

Examining thin sections of the graft with electron microscopy, he saw that the cells had openings larger than any previously seen.

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 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.

Or there may be an inelastic collision, when the photon hits an atom and knocks out an electron—the old photoelectric effect.

The Greek name for amber, ηλεκτρον (electron), is the root from which our word electricity is derived.

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