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)
I did not discover the electron; I merely found it.
The atom is a plum pudding, with the electrons as the plums.
It is a great advantage to be able to make experiments, even if they do not always succeed.
The electron is a very elusive particle, but it is also a very important one.
The atom is not a hard, impenetrable sphere, but a very open structure.
Science is built up of facts, as a house is built of stones; but a mere collection of facts is no more a science than a heap of stones is a house.
The electron is a universal constituent of matter.
The only way to do great work is to love what you do.
The electron is a very small thing, but it is the key to understanding the universe.
The atom is not a simple thing; it is a very complicated thing.
I am not a great man, but I have done a great thing.
The electron is a particle of negative electricity.
The atom is not immutable; it can be broken down into smaller parts.
The electron is a very important particle, for it is the link between matter and electricity.
The atom is a very small thing, but it contains a great deal of energy.
The electron is a very curious particle, for it is both a wave and a particle.
The atom is not a solid ball, but a very diffuse structure.
The electron is a very fundamental particle, for it is the basis of all chemical reactions.
The atom is a very interesting thing, for it is the building block of all matter.
The electron is a very small thing, but it is a very powerful thing.
Contemporaries of J. J. Thomson
Other Physicss born within 50 years of J. J. Thomson (1856–1940).