An electron is a tiny particle of matter that is smaller than an atom and has a negative electrical charge.
[technical]
electron in British English
(ɪˈlɛktrɒn)
noun
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
the lightest elementary particle with an electric charge: it is a lepton with a negative charge of c. 1.602 × 10-19 coulomb and a rest mass of c. 9.109 × 10-31 kg (c. 0.511 MeV/c2), which is c.1⁄1836 of the mass of a proton: ordinarily an atom has the same number of negative electrons around the nucleus as the numberof positive protons in the nucleus
see also positron, negatron
Word origin
coined (1891) by G. J. Stoney (1826-1911), Ir physicist < electric + -on
electron in Electrical Engineering
(ɪlɛktrɒn)
Word forms: (regular plural) electrons
noun
(Electrical engineering: Circuits, Electrical power, Computing and control)
An electron is an elementary particle that has a negative charge and is a constituent of all atoms.
Electric current is the flow of electrons in an electrical conductor.
In North America, electricity is generated at 60 Hz, which means the electrons move forward, then back again, 60 times in one second.
An electron is an elementary particle that has a negative charge and is a constituent of allatoms.
electron gun, electron volt
Examples of 'electron' in a sentence
electron
He said that he did not understand why they had not examined them more rigorously, for instance under an electron microscope.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
This turned out to be a powerful tool for examining the electron transfer chain.
Oliver Morton Eating the Sun: How Plants Power the Planet (2007)
As these electrons are negatively charged they will attempt to repel each other.
Erdmann, Robert & Jones, Meirion Fats, Nutrition and Health (1991)
It seems unlikely its present owner will be putting it under an electron microscope.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
Zinc atoms have a looser hold on their electrons than carbon atoms do.
Schneider, Hermann & Schneider, Leo The Harper Dictionary of Science in Everyday Language (1988)
The parts of the atom called electrons bring us to still another form of energy.
Schneider, Hermann & Schneider, Leo The Harper Dictionary of Science in Everyday Language (1988)
There the energy is used to pull an electron loose from a donor and feed it into the electron transfer chain.
Oliver Morton Eating the Sun: How Plants Power the Planet (2007)
The first was the electron microscope.
The Times Literary Supplement (2014)
We have not directly observed the revolutions of Earth around the sun or of electrons around a nucleus.
Christianity Today (2000)
A scanning electron microscope can see both clearly.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
In a normal hydrogen molecule there are two hydrogen atoms, each consisting of a nucleus and an electron.
Fisher, David E. Fire and Ice - the Greenhouse Effect, Ozone Depletion, and Nuclear Winter (1990)
Not least, these germs have a habit of looking beautiful and haunting when seen under an electron microscope.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
ATP is the chemical form in which the energy released by electrons passing down electron transfer chains is stored.
Oliver Morton Eating the Sun: How Plants Power the Planet (2007)
Experiments with X rays and uranium produced the knowledge of electrons and the nucleus of the atom.
Stearns, Peter N. World History: Patterns of Change and Continuity (1995)
A range of clues like these can be identified very easily by looking at the shape of crystals in a scanning electron microscope.
Michael Boulter EXTINCTION: Evolution and the End of Man (2002)
During their shuffling, colliding ascent they build up heaps of electrons - electric charges.
Schneider, Hermann & Schneider, Leo The Harper Dictionary of Science in Everyday Language (1988)
Chemistry 1992. For theory of electrons moving between atoms or molecules.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
But they are, in fact, images of the human body taken with a powerful electron microscope.
The Sun (2010)
The nucleus is charged positive and the electrons are charged negative, and thereare the same number of electrons as there are positive charges on the nucleus.
Youngson, Dr. Robert The Antioxidant Health Plan (1994)
And, as we have seen, removing electrons from atoms is exactly what free radicals are particularly good at doing.
Youngson, Dr. Robert The Antioxidant Health Plan (1994)
The electron transfer pathway gives rise to a further 34 units of ATP.
Holford, Patrick The Family Nutrition Workbook (1988)
They exist as part of a theory, rather like atoms and electrons, and they are justified to the extent that the theory can solve interesting puzzles.
Salkie, Raphael The Chomsky Update - Linguistics and Politics (1990)
In other languages
electron
British English: electron NOUN
An electron is a tiny particle of matter that is smaller than an atom and has a negative electrical charge.
Most things are balanced - with equal numbers of electrons and protons.
American English: electron
Brazilian Portuguese: elétron
Chinese: 电子
European Spanish: electrón
French: électron
German: Elektron
Italian: elettrone
Japanese: 電子
Korean: 전자
European Portuguese: eletrão
Latin American Spanish: electrón
All related terms of 'electron'
electron beam
a beam or stream of electrons emitted by a single source that move in the same direction and at the same speed
electron gun
a heated cathode with an associated system of electrodes and coils for producing and focusing a beam of electrons , used esp in cathode-ray tubes
electron lens
a system, such as an arrangement of electrodes or magnets , that produces a field for focusing a beam of electrons
electron tube
an electrical device, such as a valve , in which a flow of electrons between electrodes takes place
electron volt
a unit of energy equal to that attained by an electron falling unimpeded through a potential difference of one volt ; 1.602 × 10 -19 joule
free electron
any electron that is not attached to an ion , atom , or molecule and is free to move under the influence of an applied electric or magnetic field
electron camera
a camera which uses electron beams , esp a television camera that converts an optical image into an electrical signal
electron optics
the study and use of beams of electrons and of their deflection and focusing by electric and magnetic fields
electron affinity
a measure of the ability of an atom or molecule to form a negative ion , expressed as the energy released when an electron is attached
electron capture
the transformation of an atomic nucleus in which an electron from the atom is spontaneously absorbed into the nucleus. A proton is changed into a neutron , thereby reducing the atomic number by 1. A neutrino is emitted . The process may be detected by the consequent emission of the characteristic X-rays of the resultant element
electron telescope
an astronomical telescope with an attachment for converting the infrared radiation emitted from the surface of planets into a visible image
electron transport
the metabolic process in mitochondria or chloroplasts , in which electrons are transferred in stages from energy-rich compounds to molecular oxygen with liberation of energy
primary electron
in thermionics, any of the electrons falling on a body, distinguished from those emitted by it
valency electron
an electron in the outer shell of an atom, responsible for forming chemical bonds
electron engineering
the branch of engineering concerned with the practical applications of electricity
electron micrograph
a photograph or image of a specimen taken using an electron microscope
electron microscope
a powerful type of microscope that uses electrons , rather than light, and electron lenses to produce a magnified image
electron multiplier
a device for amplifying and measuring a flux of electrons . Each electron hits an anode surface and releases secondary electrons that are accelerated to a second surface; after several such stages a measurable pulse of current is obtained
electron spin resonance
a technique for investigating paramagnetic substances by subjecting them to high-frequency radiation in a strong magnetic field . Changes in the spin of unpaired electrons cause radiation to be absorbed at certain frequencies
electron probe microanalysis
a technique for the analysis of a very small amount of material by bombarding it with a narrow beam of electrons and examining the resulting X-ray emission spectrum
scanning electron microscope
a type of electron microscope that produces a three-dimensional image
electron paramagnetic resonance
a technique for investigating paramagnetic substances by subjecting them to high-frequency radiation in a strong magnetic field . Changes in the spin of unpaired electrons cause radiation to be absorbed at certain frequencies
K-capture
the transformation of an atomic nucleus in which an electron from the atom is spontaneously absorbed into the nucleus. A proton is changed into a neutron , thereby reducing the atomic number by 1. A neutrino is emitted . The process may be detected by the consequent emission of the characteristic X-rays of the resultant element