Peltier

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A thermoelectric device that creates a temperature difference when an electric current passes through it
2. A system used for heating or cooling applications by exploiting the Peltier effect, which converts electrical energy to thermal energy
3. A component often utilized in electronic cooling systems to transfer heat away or maintain specific temperatures selectively

Etymology: Jean Charles Athanase Peltier was a French watchmaker turned physicist who noticed that passing an electric current through the junction of two different metals could make that junction either warm or cool, depending on the current's direction. The effect bears his name, and the everyday noun "peltier" comes from it. The physics was worked out later. William Thomson, better known as Lord Kelvin, showed how Peltier's effect was linked to related thermoelectric phenomena, which explained why heating and cooling depended on current direction. The effect became practical for compact devices only once engineers had semiconductor materials that could pump heat efficiently enough, and that is why small modules in electronics are called peltiers today.

Synonyms: thermoelectric cooler, heat pump, cooler, thermal device, thermoelectric device