E*lec"tron (?), [NL., fr. Gr. &?;. See
Electric.]
(Physics & Chem.) One of those particles, having about one thousandth the mass of a hydrogen atom, which are projected from the cathode of a vacuum tube as the cathode rays and from radioactive substances
as the beta
rays; -- called also corpuscle. The electron carries (or is) a natural
unit of negative electricity,
equal to 3.4 x 10-10 electrostatic units. It has been detected only when in
rapid motion; its mass, which is electromagnetic, is practically constant at the lesser
speeds, but increases as the velocity approaches that of light. Electrons are all of one kind, so far as known, and
probably are the ultimate constituents of all atoms. An
atom from which an electron has been detached has a positive charge and is called a
coelectron.
E*lec"tron (?), n. [NL.,
fr. Gr. 'h`lektron. See
Electric.]
Amber; also, the alloy of
gold and silver, called electrum.
Hear it pronounced