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Re: [Phys-l] anode and cathode



Okay, I agree the n-type end of a zener diode is properly called the anode when the zener is used as designed. Having said that, I think it would also be proper to throw away the "reverse biased" wording because we are not using it backwards from the way it was designed. For the "properly-biased" zener diode (or the properly-utilized zener diode) the n-type end is the anode.

For batteries we have the words discharging and recharging and neither is construed as "backwards." I guess I was reacting to the idea that the wording for a zener implies it is used backwards. It's not. It's used as intended.

Michael D. Edmiston, Ph.D.
Professor of Physics and Chemistry
Bluffton University
Bluffton, OH 45817
(419)-358-3270
edmiston@bluffton.edu