| volt | <unit> Unit of electrical potential. (11 Jan 1998) |
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| volta-electric | Of or pertaining to voltaic electricity, or voltaism. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
| volta-electrometer | An instrument for the exact measurement of electric currents. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
| voltage | <physics> Electric potential or potential difference, expressed in volts. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
| voltage clamp | <physiology, technique> A technique in electrophysiology, in which a microelectrode is inserted into a cell and current injected through the electrode so as to hold the cells membrane potential at some predefined level. The technique can be used with separate electrodes for voltage sensing and current passing, for small cells, the same electrode can be used for both. Voltage clamp is a powerful technique for the study of ion channels. See: patch clamp. (18 Nov 1997) |
| voltage gated ion channel | <physiology> A transmembrane ion channel whose permeability to ions is extremely sensitive to the transmembrane potential difference. These channels are essential for neuronal signal transmission and for intracellular signal transduction. See: sodium channel. (18 Nov 1997) |
| voltage gradient | <physiology> Literally, the electric field in a region, defined as the potential difference between two points divided by the distance between them. Used more loosely, the potential difference across a plasma membrane. (18 Nov 1997) |
| voltage loop | <radiobiology> A wire which encircles the main axis of a tokamak in the vicinity of the vacuum vessel. The voltage induced in this loop during the shot is a measure of the ohmic heating voltage induced by transformer action and applied to the plasma. (09 Oct 1997) |
| voltage-gated channel | A class of ion channel's that open and close in response to change in the electrical potential across the plasma membrane of the cell; voltage-gated Na+ c.'s are important for conducting action potential along nerve cell processes. (05 Mar 2000) |
| voltagraphy | In electrotypy, the act or art of copying, in metals deposited by electrolytic action, a form or pattern which is made the negative electrode. Origin: Voltaic. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
| voltaic | 1. Of or pertaining to Alessandro Volta, who first devised apparatus for developing electric currents by chemical action, and established this branch of electric science; discovered by Volta; as, voltaic electricity. 2. Of or pertaining to voltaism, or voltaic electricity; as, voltaic induction; the voltaic arc. See the Note under Galvanism. Voltaic arc, a luminous arc, of intense brilliancy, formed between carbon points as electrodes by the passage of a powerful voltaic current. Voltaic battery, an apparatus variously constructed, consisting of a series of plates or pieces of dissimilar metals, as copper and zinc, arranged in pairs, and subjected to the action of a saline or acid solution, by which a current of electricity is generated whenever the two poles, or ends of the series, are connected by a conductor; a galvanic battery. See Battery, 4, and Note. Voltaic circuit. See Circuit. Voltaic couple or element, a single pair of the connected plates of a battery. Voltaic electricity. See the Note under Electricity. Voltaic pile, a kind of voltaic battery consisting of alternate disks of dissimilar metals, separated by moistened cloth or paper. See 5th Pile. Voltaic protection of metals, the protection of a metal exposed to the corrosive action of sea water, saline or acid liquids, or the like, by associating it with a metal which is positive to it, as when iron is galvanised, or coated with zinc. Origin: Cf. F. Voltaique, It. Voltaico. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
| voltaic cell | <chemistry> A device in which chemical energy from a spontaneous redox reaction is changed to electrical energy that can be used to do work, also called a galvanic cell. (09 Jan 1998) |
| voltaic taste | A metallic or sour taste produced by the application of static electricity to the tongue. Synonym: voltaic taste. (05 Mar 2000) |
| voltaism | <physics> That form of electricity which is developed by the chemical action between metals and different liquids; voltaic electricity; also, the science which treats of this form of electricity; called also galvanism, from Galvani, on account of his experiments showing the remarkable influence of this agent on animals. Origin: Cf. F. Voltaisme. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
| voltameter | <physics> An instrument for measuring the voltaic electricity passing through it, by its effect in decomposing water or some other chemical compound acting as an electrolyte. Origin: Voltaic. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
| electron-volt | <unit> A general unit of energy of moving particles, equal to the kinetic energy acquired by an electron losing one volt of potential, equal to 1.602 x 10-19 J. This is the energy an electron (or other particle of charge=1 such as a proton), gains as it is accelerated through a potential difference of 1 volt. In plasma physics the electron-volt is used as a unit of temperature when the mean particle energy is 1 eV, the temperature of the plasma is roughly 11, 600 Kelvin (the conversion from eV to K is via the Boltzmann constant). Abbreviation: eV (09 Oct 1997) |
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