J. J. Thomson
Discovered the electron and proposed the first model of the atom.
Most quoted
"As the cathode rays carry a charge of negative electricity, are deflected by an electrostatic force as if they were negatively electrified, and are acted on by a magnetic force in just the way in which this force would act on a negatively electrified body moving along the path of these rays, I can see no escape from the conclusion that they are charges of negative electricity carried by particles of matter."
— from Cathode Rays, 1897
"We have, in the cathode rays, matter in a new state, a state in which the subdivision of matter is carried very much further than in the ordinary gaseous state: a state in which all matter—that is, matter derived from different sources such as hydrogen, oxygen, etc.—is of one and the same kind; this matter being the substance from which all the chemical elements are built up."
— from Philosophical Magazine, 1897
"We have in the cathode rays matter in a new state, a state in which the subdivision of matter is carried very much further than in the ordinary gaseous state: a state in which all matter—that is, matter derived from different sources such as hydrogen, oxygen, etc.—is of one and the same kind; this matter being the substance from which all the chemical elements are built up."
— from Cathode Rays, 1897
All quotes by J. J. Thomson (395)
Is the electron the only constituent of matter? Or is it merely one of the constituents?
The discovery of the electron, the first elementary particle, was a step towards understanding the ultimate structure of matter.
The electron is the corpuscle of electricity.
The properties of matter are determined by the number and arrangement of these corpuscles.
The electron is the atom of electricity.
The atom is not indivisible.
The electron is the smallest particle of matter yet discovered.
The atom is a sphere of uniformly distributed positive charge, with electrons embedded in it like plums in a pudding.
The electron is the foundation stone of the universe.
The electron is the unit of electric charge.
The electron is the ultimate constituent of all matter.
The electron is the most fundamental particle in nature.
The electron is the key to understanding the structure of the atom.
The electron is the most important discovery in physics since Newton.
The electron is the basis of all chemical reactions.
The electron is the cause of all electrical phenomena.
The electron is the source of all light and heat.
The electron is the ultimate reality.
The electron is the building block of the universe.
The electron is the most beautiful thing in the world.
Contemporaries of J. J. Thomson
Other Physicss born within 50 years of J. J. Thomson (1856–1940).