The Electron of Atomic Physics
Sir J.J.THOMSOM is to physics what electron is to an atom. He charged the world of physics with his discoveries and gave momentum to atomic physics. Physics is what today because of this British scientist who is regarded as the greatest experimental physicists of this century.
A bookseller’s son, Thomsom studied at the Owens College and later at the Manchester University. He wanted to become an engineer, but his father’s death in 1872 forced him to study Mathematics, Physics and Chemistry as he could not become an engineer. He did well and won a scholarship to the Trinity College, Cambridge in England in 1876.
Four years later, he graduated second wrangler as a mathematician and subsequently became a fellow of trinity college succeeding Cavendish Professor Rayleigh; he became Master of Trinity 1n 1918.
Thomson was an experimentalist, but his hands were regarded by some as clumsy; and his best works was actually preformed by assistants. Nevertheless, he adored and was popular
.
Thomson had carried out an excellent mathematical analysis of vortex rings in 1883 and speculation that atoms might be vortex rings in the imagined electromagnetic either led him to investigate cathode rays(the electrical discharge emitted from an electrode under high fields in a gas at low pressure). Several german physicists believed that cathode rays were waves.
Hertz tried to show that they could not be particles, because in his experiments the cathode rays were not deflected by an electric field. However, Thomson repeated the experiment in a vaccum, in which there was no polarisable air to mask the electric field and demonstrated that electric fields could deflect cathode rays.
Having shown that the rays were made up of negatively charged particles, he procedded to use their combined electric and magnetic fields to find the charge in mass ratio(e/m) of the particles, which did not vary from one cathode material to another.
In april 1897, he relealed this discovery of
A bookseller’s son, Thomsom studied at the Owens College and later at the Manchester University. He wanted to become an engineer, but his father’s death in 1872 forced him to study Mathematics, Physics and Chemistry as he could not become an engineer. He did well and won a scholarship to the Trinity College, Cambridge in England in 1876.
Four years later, he graduated second wrangler as a mathematician and subsequently became a fellow of trinity college succeeding Cavendish Professor Rayleigh; he became Master of Trinity 1n 1918.
Thomson was an experimentalist, but his hands were regarded by some as clumsy; and his best works was actually preformed by assistants. Nevertheless, he adored and was popular
.
Thomson had carried out an excellent mathematical analysis of vortex rings in 1883 and speculation that atoms might be vortex rings in the imagined electromagnetic either led him to investigate cathode rays(the electrical discharge emitted from an electrode under high fields in a gas at low pressure). Several german physicists believed that cathode rays were waves.
Hertz tried to show that they could not be particles, because in his experiments the cathode rays were not deflected by an electric field. However, Thomson repeated the experiment in a vaccum, in which there was no polarisable air to mask the electric field and demonstrated that electric fields could deflect cathode rays.
Having shown that the rays were made up of negatively charged particles, he procedded to use their combined electric and magnetic fields to find the charge in mass ratio(e/m) of the particles, which did not vary from one cathode material to another.
In april 1897, he relealed this discovery of