In this model, the atom is composed of electrons (which Thomson still called "corpuscles," though G.J. Stoney had proposed that atoms of electricity be called electrons in 1894), surrounded by a soup of positive charge to balance the electron's negative charge, like negatively-charged "plums" surrounded by positively-charged "pudding". The electrons (as we know them today) were thought to be positioned throughout the atom, but with many structures possible for positioning multiple electrons, particularly rotating rings of electrons. Instead of a soup, the atom was also sometimes said to have had a cloud of positive charge.
J.J. Thomson discovered the modern electron
Biography: J.J. Thompson was born on December 18, 1856 in Manchester.His father, a bookseller, wanted him to be an engineer, but did not have the fee for J.J.'s apprenticeship. His father was a bookseller and he wanted J.J. Thompson to be an engineer, but could not afford the cost of J.J.'s apprenticeship. In 1870 he was enrolled at Owens College, Manchester and in 1876 he entered Trinity College, Cambridge as a minor scholar. He soon was a great addition to Trinity College in 1880, when he was Second Wrangler and Second Smith's Prizeman. After, he then went on to stay a member of the College for the rest of his life, becoming Lecturer in 1883 and Master in 1918. In 1906 he won the nobel prize. He died on August 30, 1940, and was buried in Westminster Abbey, close to Isaac Newton.
Atomic Theory:In 1897, he largely changed the view of the atom with his discovery of the electron. His work suggested that the atom wasn’t an indivisible particle as John Dalton had suggested, it was a jigsaw puzzle made of smaller pieces. Thomson notion of the electrons came from his work: the cathode ray tube. Thomson was proven correct later, that the stream was made up of small particles, pieces of atoms that carried a negative charge. The particles were later called electrons.
In this model, the atom is composed of electrons (which Thomson still called "corpuscles," though G.J. Stoney had proposed that atoms of electricity be called electrons in 1894), surrounded by a soup of positive charge to balance the electron's negative charge, like negatively-charged "plums" surrounded by positively-charged "pudding". The electrons (as we know them today) were thought to be positioned throughout the atom, but with many structures possible for positioning multiple electrons, particularly rotating rings of electrons. Instead of a soup, the atom was also sometimes said to have had a cloud of positive charge.
Biography: J.J. Thompson was born on December 18, 1856 in Manchester. His father, a bookseller, wanted him to be an engineer, but did not have the fee for J.J.'s apprenticeship. His father was a bookseller and he wanted J.J. Thompson to be an engineer, but could not afford the cost of J.J.'s apprenticeship. In 1870 he was enrolled at Owens College, Manchester and in 1876 he entered Trinity College, Cambridge as a minor scholar. He soon was a great addition to Trinity College in 1880, when he was Second Wrangler and Second Smith's Prizeman. After, he then went on to stay a member of the College for the rest of his life, becoming Lecturer in 1883 and Master in 1918. In 1906 he won the nobel prize. He died on August 30, 1940, and was buried in Westminster Abbey, close to Isaac Newton.
Atomic Theory: In 1897, he largely changed the view of the atom with his discovery of the electron. His work suggested that the atom wasn’t an indivisible particle as John Dalton had suggested, it was a jigsaw puzzle made of smaller pieces. Thomson notion of the electrons came from his work: the cathode ray tube. Thomson was proven correct later, that the stream was made up of small particles, pieces of atoms that carried a negative charge. The particles were later called electrons.