quartz crystal
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quartz crystal
a thin plate or rod cut in certain directions from a piece of piezoelectric quartz and accurately ground so that it vibrates at a particular frequency
Collins Discovery Encyclopedia, 1st edition © HarperCollins Publishers 2005
quartz crystal
[′kwȯrts ¦krist·əl] (electronics)
A natural or artificially grown piezoelectric crystal composed of silicon dioxide, from which thin slabs or plates are carefully cut and ground to serve as a crystal plate.
(mineralogy)
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific & Technical Terms, 6E, Copyright © 2003 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
quartz crystal
A slice of quartz ground to a prescribed thickness that vibrates at a steady frequency when stimulated by electricity. The tiny crystal, about 1/20th by 1/5th of an inch, creates the computer's heartbeat. Without the quartz crystal, there would be no computers as we know them today! See clock and MHz.Copyright © 1981-2019 by The Computer Language Company Inc. All Rights reserved. THIS DEFINITION IS FOR PERSONAL USE ONLY. All other reproduction is strictly prohibited without permission from the publisher.