Free Electron – definition of an electronvolt Animation

Electron – definition of an electronvolt When scientists are measuring the energy of small particles, such as electrons, joules are often not a very useful unit to use as the energy of an electron would typically be many orders of magnitude small than a joule. They therefore tend to use a different unit of energy when dealing with small particles, which is defined as the amount of energy that is gained (or lost) by an electron when it moves across a potential difference of 1 volt.

Electron – definition of an electronvolt When scientists are measuring the energy of small particles, such as electrons, joules are often not a very useful unit to use as the energy of an electron would typically be many orders of magnitude small than a joule. They therefore tend to use a different unit of energy when dealing with small particles, which is defined as the amount of energy that is gained (or lost) by an electron when it moves across a potential difference of 1 volt.