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)
The velocity of the cathode rays is very much less than that of light.
The ratio of the mass of the electron to its charge is very small compared with the corresponding ratio for the hydrogen ion in electrolysis.
The mass of the electron is only about 1/1800 of that of the hydrogen atom.
The whole atom is built up of positive and negative electricity.
The number of electrons in an atom is approximately proportional to its atomic weight.
The atom is an electrical structure.
The discovery of the electron has bridged the gap between electricity and matter.
The corpuscles are the vehicles by which electricity is carried through metals.
The rays from radioactive substances consist in part of electrons.
The positive rays are atoms or molecules which have lost one or more electrons.
The study of positive rays may throw light on the structure of molecules.
The method of positive rays is a new method of chemical analysis.
In the discharge tube we have a means of breaking up molecules into their constituent atoms.
The laws of electrolysis find a simple explanation on the electron theory.
The conductivity of metals is due to free electrons.
The emission of electrons from hot bodies is a phenomenon of great importance.
The photoelectric effect is due to the ejection of electrons by light.
The X-rays are produced when cathode rays strike against a solid obstacle.
The ionization of gases by X-rays is due to the electrons set free by the rays.
The scattering of X-rays by matter may give information about the number of electrons in the atom.
Contemporaries of J. J. Thomson
Other Physicss born within 50 years of J. J. Thomson (1856–1940).