cadmium cell
Noun: A cadmium cell is a specific type of standard voltaic cell, historically trademarked as the Weston cell. It is an electrochemical cell that produces a precise and stable voltage, traditionally used as a voltage standard in laboratories for calibrating electrical instruments.
The term cadmium cell is used to refer to this specific, standardized electrochemical device. It is a technical term primarily found in historical, scientific, and metrological contexts. - The laboratory used a cadmium cell to calibrate its voltmeters to ensure accurate measurements. - Before modern electronic references, the cadmium cell was the primary standard for maintaining the unit of voltage.
- As a historical reference: The term often refers specifically to the Weston saturated cadmium cell, which was adopted internationally as the standard for the volt from 1911 until superseded by more modern quantum-based standards.
- The definition of the volt was once based on the electromotive force of a standard cadmium cell.
- Weston cell: This is the trademarked name and a direct synonym for the standard cadmium cell.
- Standard cell: A general term for any electrochemical cell that maintains a constant and reproducible voltage, under specific conditions. A cadmium cell is a type of standard cell.
- Voltaic cell / Galvanic cell: General terms for an electrochemical cell that generates electrical energy from spontaneous redox reactions. A cadmium cell is a specialized type of voltaic cell.
- Weston cell
- Standard cell (in the specific context of voltage standards)
This is a highly specialized technical term. Its usage is almost entirely confined to historical discussions of electrical standards or in educational contexts explaining the history of electrical measurement. It is not used in everyday language.
- a standard voltaic cell (trademark Weston)