electron volt

noun

: a unit of energy equal to the energy gained by an electron in passing from a point of low potential to a point one volt higher in potential : 1.60 × 10−19 joule

Examples of electron volt in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web This isotope requires only about eight electron volts of energy to jump to an excited state, and physicists have no idea why. Allison Parshall, Scientific American, 11 Sep. 2024 Exciting something so tiny and heavy requires thousands or millions of electron volts of energy, usually in the form of photons that are precisely tuned to incredibly specific frequencies. Allison Parshall, Scientific American, 11 Sep. 2024 In the mid-2000s the Mainz Neutrino Mass Experiment in Germany had set the upper limit of a neutrino’s mass at 2.3 electron volts. Joanna Thompson, Scientific American, 15 June 2022 Mechanical deformations will open a bandgap, and bandgaps up to 0.2 electron volts have been demonstrated. IEEE Spectrum, 18 Jan. 2024 The bandgap of a semiconductor is defined as the energy, in electron volts, needed for an electron in the semiconductor lattice to jump from the valence band to the conduction band. IEEE Spectrum, 26 Mar. 2023 The neutrinos that the astronomers saw have phenomenally high energy: more than a tera-electron volt each. Phil Plait, Scientific American, 20 Dec. 2022 Some anomalous results hinted at a sterile neutrino with a mass of about 1 electron volt (eV), at least 10 times more than ordinary neutrinos weigh. Byadrian Cho, science.org, 11 Jan. 2023 Similarly, the electron volt (eV), which measures the energy of particles in both astronomy and physics, could instead be expressed in terms of attojoules (aJ, 10^−18 joules). Alison Klesman, Discover Magazine, 23 Apr. 2018

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'electron volt.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1930, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of electron volt was in 1930

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Cite this Entry

“Electron volt.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/electron%20volt. Accessed 5 Nov. 2024.

Medical Definition

electron volt

noun
: a unit of energy equal to the energy gained by an electron in passing from a point of low potential to a point one volt higher in potential : 1.60 × 10−19 joule

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