piezoelectric effect

piezoelectric effect [pie-eez-oh-ill-ek-trik] or piezoelectricity

Noun

Physics

a. the production of electricity by applying a mechanical stress to certain crystals

b. the converse effect in which stress is produced in a crystal as a result of an applied voltage [Greek piezein to press]

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piezoelectric effect  (p-z--lktrk)

The generation of an electric charge in certain nonconducting materials, such as quartz crystals and ceramics, when they are subjected to mechanical stress (such as pressure or vibration), or the generation of vibrations in such materials when they are subjected to an electric field. Piezoelectric materials exposed to a fairly constant electric field tend to vibrate at a precise frequency with very little variation, making them useful as time-keeping devices in electronic clocks, as used in wristwatches and computers.

Thesaurus

Noun

1.

piezoelectric effect - electricity produced by mechanical pressure on certain crystals (notably quartz or Rochelle salt); alternatively, electrostatic stress produces a change in the linear dimensions of the crystal piezo effect, piezoelectricity electricity - a physical phenomenon associated with stationary or moving electrons and protons