Image Modalities Complete Practice Test 2026

The essential idea is that a piezoelectric element needs a conductive interface on both sides to apply voltage across the material and to collect the resulting charge. That interface is the electrode. By affixing electrodes to each strip section, you create a path for the electric field to act across the piezoelectric material; this lets the material deform when voltage is applied (or generate voltage when stressed). Dyes and magnets don’t serve this electrical interfacing role and aren’t used in typical piezoelectric actuation or sensing. Conductors are part of the surrounding circuitry, but the specific component attached to the piezo strip surfaces is the electrode, which is the conductive layer that enables the piezoelectric effect to occur.