The Discovery of the Electron BY THONNY KOON
J.J. Thomsom Third Cavendish Professor of Experimental Physics in Studied Cathode Rays At the time many people thought the rays were an ethereal disturbance like light Thomson believed the rays were made of particles.
Uses two metal plates (one positively charged and one negatively charged) to deflect cathode rays. Accomplishes this by creating a vacuum in the tube. Since the rays moved towards the positively charged plate, it was determined that the particles had a negative charge.
J.J. ran a current through a coil of wire to produce a magnetic field. J.J positioned the coils so that the magnetic field deflects the rays in the opposite direction to the deflection produced by the electric field from the metal plates. The fields were adjusted so that the rays were deflected evenly and thus the forces were balanced
Results Found a charged particle that had a charge two thousand times greater than a hydrogen ion. These particles were also two thousand times lighter than hydrogen and therefor can pass between atoms in a solid. J.J called these particles corpuscles. G. Johnstone Stoney coined the term electron
Works Cited outreach.phy.cam.ac.uk/camphy/electron/elect ron5_1.htm outreach.phy.cam.ac.uk/camphy/electron/elect ron5_1.htm