Seebeck effect
[ see-bek; German zey-bek ]
/ ˈsi bɛk; German ˈzeɪ bɛk /
noun Physics.
Origin of Seebeck effect
named after Thomas J.
Seebeck (1770–1831), German physicist
British Dictionary definitions for seebeck effect
Seebeck effect
/ (ˈsiːbɛk, German ˈzeːbɛk) /
noun
the phenomenon in which a current is produced in a circuit containing two or more different metals when the junctions between the metals are maintained at different temperatures
Also called: thermoelectric effect Compare Peltier effect
Word Origin for Seebeck effect
C19: named after Thomas
Seebeck (1770–1831), German physicist
Scientific definitions for seebeck effect
Seebeck effect
[ zā′bĕk ]
The creation of an electrical potential across points in a metal that are at different temperatures. The effect is caused by the thermal energy of the valence electrons in the warmer part of the metal; the kinetic energy of these electrons, which are very free in metals, allows them to migrate toward the colder part more readily than the colder electrons migrate to the warmer part. The colder part of the metal is therefore more negatively charged than the warmer part, resulting in electric potential. The Seebeck effect is used in thermocouples. It was discovered by the German physicist Thomas Seebeck (1770-1831).