Who discovered Electron?
VerifiedAnswer: J.J. Thomson
Explanation:
The electron was discovered by J.J. Thomson, a British physicist, in 1897. His groundbreaking discovery revolutionized our understanding of atomic structure and laid the foundation for modern atomic theory. Before Thomson's work, atoms were thought to be indivisible particles, but his experiments proved that atoms contained even smaller components.
Thomson made this discovery while conducting experiments with cathode ray tubes. A cathode ray tube is a sealed glass tube with electrodes at both ends. When high voltage is applied, mysterious rays (now known as cathode rays) travel from the negative electrode (cathode) to the positive electrode (anode). Scientists at that time were puzzled about the nature of these rays.
Through his ingenious experiments, Thomson discovered several important properties of cathode rays:
• The rays were deflected by both electric and magnetic fields, proving they were charged particles • The deflection was always in the same direction, indicating the particles carried a negative charge • The rays had the same properties regardless of the material used for the cathode • The particles were much lighter than hydrogen atoms (the lightest known atom at that time)
By measuring how much the cathode rays bent in electric and magnetic fields, Thomson was able to calculate the charge-to-mass ratio of these mysterious particles. His calculations revealed that these particles were nearly 2000 times lighter than a hydrogen atom, which was shocking news for the scientific community.
Based on his experimental evidence, Thomson concluded that cathode rays were streams of negatively charged particles that were fundamental components of all atoms. He initially called these particles "corpuscles," but they were later renamed "electrons" by other scientists. This discovery earned Thomson the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1906.
Thomson's discovery led him to propose the famous "plum pudding model" of the atom, which suggested that atoms consisted of a positively charged sphere with negatively charged electrons embedded within it, like raisins in a pudding. Although this model was later replaced by more accurate models, it marked the beginning of our modern understanding of atomic structure and earned Thomson the title "father of the electron."
