Foot-pound (energy) Foot-pound (energy) The foot pound-force (symbol: ft⋅lbf or ft⋅lb) is a unit of work or energy in the Engineering and Gravitational Systems in United States customary and imperial units of measure. It is the energy transferred upon applying a force of one pound-force (lbf) through a linear displacement of one foot. The corresponding SI unit is the joule. The foot-pound is often used to specify the muzzle energy of a bullet in small arms ballistics, particularly in the United States. "Foot-pound" is also used as a unit of torque (see "pound-foot (torque)"). In the United States this unit is often
Work function of the emitter. Excess photon energy results in a liberated electron with non-zero kinetic energy. It is expected that the minimum photon energy formula_7 required to liberate an electron (and generate a current) is where "W" is the work function of the emitter. Photoelectric measurements require a great deal of care, as an incorrectly designed experimental geometry can result in an erroneous measurement of work function. This may be responsible for the large variation in work function values in scientific literature. Moreover, the minimum energy can be misleading in materials where there are no actual electron states at the Fermi