fermion
[ fur-mee-on ]
/ ˈfɜr miˌɒn /
noun Physics.
any particle that obeys the exclusion principle and Fermi-Dirac statistics; fermions have spins that are half an odd integer: 1/2, 3/2, 5/2, …
OTHER WORDS FROM fermion
fer·mi·on·ic, adjectiveWords nearby fermion
fermentative,
fermi,
fermi energy,
fermi, enrico,
fermi-dirac statistics,
fermion,
fermium,
fermor,
fern,
fern bar,
fern root
British Dictionary definitions for fermion
fermion
/ (ˈfɜːmɪˌɒn) /
noun
any of a group of elementary particles, such as a nucleon, that has half-integral spin and obeys Fermi-Dirac statistics
Compare boson
Word Origin for fermion
C20: named after Enrico
Fermi; see
-on
Scientific definitions for fermion
fermion
[ fûr′mē-ŏn′, fĕr′- ]
An elementary or composite particle, such as an electron, quark, or proton, whose spin is an integer multiple of 12. Fermions act on each other by exchanging bosons and are subject to the Pauli exclusion principle, which requires that no two fermions be in the same quantum state. Fermions are named after the physicist Enrico Fermi, who along with Paul Dirac developed quantum statistical models of their behavior. Compare boson.