Joseph John Thomson

Joseph John Thomson

What?Thomson did several great things in his life, but the proabably the most important is his discovery of the electron. An electron is a negatively charged particle. When electrons move electricity flows. He also: discovered isotopes, came up with the mass spectrometer invention, discovered the natural radioactivity of potassium, and did lots of experiments with cathode rays.

When?I believe Thomson made his discovery at Trinity College in Cambridge, England, however my sources weren't very clear so I am not exactly sure.

When?Thomson made his discovery in 1897. His ideas were very accepted and not very risky. They influenced society by showing that there were now things within atoms, and helped better explain electricity.

How?He came about his discovery when exploring cathode and Lenard rays. He worked with his student Ernest Rutherford and Francis Aston, his assistant. Jospeh attended Owens College and Trinity College. He was very talented in science at school. He built on James Clerk Maxwell's work.

Fun Facts:-He won a Nobel Prize in Physics.-He originally called the electron corpuscles, later scientists changed the name.-His mother's name was Emma.

Sources:-http://www.atomicarchive.com-wikipedia-http://www.chemheritage.org-http://www.britannica.com/-www.biography.com

By Emma Roberts