work function

noun

Physics. the least energy necessary to free an electron from a metal surface.
Thermodynamics. Helmholtz function.

Words nearby work function

work camp, work ethic, work expands to fill the time available for its completion, work farm, work force, work function, work in, work it, work like a beaver, work like a charm, work of art

British Dictionary definitions for work function

work function

noun

physics the minimum energy required to transfer an electron from a point within a solid to a point just outside its surface Symbol: φ, Φ
thermodynamics another name (not now used because of confusion with sense 1) for Helmholtz function