Thomsons biography

English physicist (1856–1940)

This article is about the Nobel laureate and physicist. For the moral philosopher, see Judith Jarvis Thomson.

Sir Joseph John Thomson (18 December 1856 – 30 August 1940) was an English physicist who received the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1906 "in recognition of the great merits of his theoretical and experimental investigations on the conduction of electricity by gases."

In 1897, Thomson showed that cathode rays were composed of previously unknown negatively charged particles (now called electrons), which he calculated must have bodies much smaller than atoms and a very large charge-to-mass ratio. Thomson is also credited with finding the first evidence for isotopes of a stable (non-radioactive) element in 1913, as part of his exploration into the composition of canal rays (positive ions). His experiments to determine the nature of positively charged particles, with Francis William Aston, were the first use of mass spectrometry and led to the development of the mass spectrograph.

Thomson was awarded the 1906 Nobel Prize in Physics for his work on the conduction of electricity in gases. Thomson was also a teacher, and seven of his students went on to win Nobel Prizes: Ernest Rutherford (Chemistry 1908), Lawrence Bragg (Physics 1915), Charles Barkla (Physics 1917), Francis Aston (Chemistry 1922), Charles Thomson Rees Wilson (Physics 1927), Owen Richardson (Physics 1928) and Edward Victor Appleton (Physics 1947). Only Arnold Sommerfeld's record of mentorship offers a comparable list of high-achieving students.

Education and personal life

Joseph John Thomson was born on 18 December 1856 in Cheetham Hill, Manchester, Lancashire, England. His mother, Emma Swindells, came from a local textile family. His father, Joseph James Thomson, ran an antiquarian bookshop founded by Thomson's great-grandfather. He had a brother, Frederick Vernon T

Joseph John Thomson was born on December 18, 1856, in Cheetham Hill, a suburb of Manchester. He studied at Owens College, Manchester in 1870 and entered Trinity College, Cambridge University as an academic in 1876. He attended Trinity College when he won the second Wrangler Prize and the second Smith Prize in 1880, was a life member of the University, he became a member of the faculty in 1883 and received a master's degree in 1918. Cambridge succeeded Sir Rayleigh from 1884 to 1918 and was professor emeritus at Cambridge and the Royal College of London. 

Thomson's early interest in atomic structure was reflected in his 1884 Adams Prize-winning paper on vortex motion. He published the application of kinetics in physics and chemistry in 1886 and 1892 and published a note on recent research on electric and magnetic fields. The second book deals with the results obtained after the publication of James Clark Maxwell's famous "Thesis", and is often referred to as "Maxwell Volume Three". Thomson and Professor JH Poynting collaborated on the Four-Mass Physics textbook Properties of Matter and published Elements of the Mathematical Theory of Electricity and Magnetism in 1895. The fifth edition was published in 1921.

In this JJ Thomson biography we study about JJ Thomson’s early life, who is JJ Thomson, education, what experiment did JJ Thomson do, what did joseph john Thomson discover, etc.

Who is JJ Thomson?

Sir J.J. Thomson studied at Trinity College, Cambridge University, where he will continue to lead the Cavendish Laboratory. His research on cathode rays led to the discovery of electrons, and he sought further innovations in the exploration of atomic structure. Thomson scientist won the 1906 Nobel Prize in Physics among many honours.

JJ Thomson Life and Education

Ironically, Thomson (a good physicist and consultant) has become a physicist by default. His father wanted him to be an engineer, he had to be an apprentice at

(1856-1940)

Who Was J.J. Thomson?

J.J. Thomson attended Trinity College at Cambridge, where he would come to head the Cavendish Laboratory. His research in cathode rays led to the discovery of the electron, and he pursued further innovations in atomic structure exploration. Thomson won the 1906 Nobel Prize in Physics, among many accolades.

Early Life and Education

Joseph John Thomson, who was always called J.J., was born in Cheetham Hill, England, near Manchester, in 1856. His father was a bookseller who planned for Thomson to be an engineer. When an apprenticeship at an engineering firm couldn't be found, Thomson was sent to bide his time at Owens College at the age of 14. In 1876, he received a small scholarship to attend Trinity College at Cambridge to study mathematics.

Thomson worked in the Cavendish Laboratory after graduation, under the tutelage of Lord Rayleigh. He quickly earned a membership in the prestigious Royal Society and was appointed Rayleigh’s successor as the Cavendish Professor of Physics at the age of 28. He was both respected and well-liked, and students came from around the world to study with him.

Research

In 1894, Thomson began studying cathode rays, which are glowing beams of light that follow an electrical discharge in a high-vacuum tube. It was a popular research topic among physicists at the time because the nature of cathode rays was unclear.

Thomson devised better equipment and methods than had been used before. When he passed the rays through the vacuum, he was able to measure the angle at which they were deflected and calculate the ratio of the electrical charge to the mass of the particles. He discovered that the ratio was the same regardless of what type of gas was used, which led him to conclude that the particles that made up the gases were universal.

Thomson determined that all matter is made up of tiny particles that are much smaller than atoms. He originally called these particles 'corpuscles,' al

Sir Joseph John "J.J." Thomson, OM, FRS (18 December 1856 – 30 August 1940) was a Britishphysicist and Nobel laureate. He discovered the electron and isotopes, and invented the mass spectrometer. He won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1906 for his discovery of the electron and his work on how electricity works in gases. Joseph John Thomson in 1893 said: "There is no other branch of physics which affords us so promising an opportunity of penetrating the secret of electricity."

In 1897, Thomson showed that cathode rays were made of a previously unknown negatively charged particle of very small mass compared to its electric charge. It was later called the electron and was the first subatomic particle to be found. Thomson also found the first evidence for isotopes of a stable (non-radioactive) element in 1913, while studying anode rays (positive cations).

In atomic theory he suggested the idea that atoms were spheres of evenly spread positive charge, where an individual negatively charged electron resided. He later concluded there was more than one negatively charged particle in an atom.

Many of the young men who studied and worked with him at University of Cambridge also became famous physicists.