JJ Thomson was born on December 18, 1856 in Cheetham Hill, England, near Manchester. His father was a bookseller and planned to make Thomson an engineer. When an apprenticeship with an engineering company could not be found, Thomson was sent to spend his time at Owens College at the age of 14. In 1876, JJ Thompson received a scholarship to attend Trinity College, Cambridge to study mathematics. His research on cathode rays led to the discovery of the electron, and he continued his innovations in the exploration of atomic structure. Additionally, Thomson won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1906, among many honors. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why violent video games should not be banned”?Get the original essayHe died on August 30, 1940. British physicist JJ Thomson carried out a series of experiments in 1897 intended to study nature electrical discharges in a cathode ray tube under high vacuum, an area studied by many scientists at the time. Thomson interpreted the deflection of rays by electrically charged plates and magnets as evidence of "bodies much smaller than atoms" (electrons) which he calculated to have a very large value for the charge-to-mass ratio. Thompson did a lot of research throughout the story. years; However, he is best known for his work on cathode rays, which are bright beams of light that follow an electrical discharge in a high vacuum tube. Thompson's research on cathode rays led to his contributions to atomic theory, such as the discovery of electrons. which he initially called "corpuscles", while developing the existing model of the atom at the time by creating a "plum pudding" type model. The negative electrons represented the raisins in the pudding and the dough contained the positive charge. Thomson's model of the atom explained some of the electrical properties of the atom due to electrons, but failed to recognize the positive charges of the atom in the form of particles. JJ Thompson studied cathode rays by designing better equipment and methods than previously used. Keep in mind: this is just a sample. Get a personalized article now from our expert writers. Get a Personalized Essay When he passed the rays through a vacuum, he was able to measure the angle at which they were deflected and calculate the ratio of the electric charge to the mass of the particles. He found that the ratio was the same regardless of the type of gas used, leading him to conclude that the particles that made up the gases were universal. Thus, JJ Thompson contributed a lot to atomic structure and atomic theory through his research and studies on cathode rays. Works Cited Bragg, W. H. (1941). Sir Joseph John Thomson, OM, FRS Biographical Memoirs of Fellows of the Royal Society, 1, 253-267. Cambridge University Library. (nd). JJ Thomson (1856-1940). Retrieved from https://www.lib.cam.ac.uk/collections/departments/rare-books/collections/scientific-revolution/modern-physics/jj-thomson-1856-1940Encyclopaedia Britannica. (2021). JJ Thomson. In Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved from https://www.britannica.com/biography/JJ-ThomsonFowler, D.A. (2008). JJ Thomson and the discovery of the electron. Physics Today, 61(4), 41-46. Gillies, D.A. (2008). JJ Thomson: discoverer of the electron. Isis, 99(2), 367-378. Hellemans, A. and Bunch, B.H. (1988). The Times of Science: A Timeline of the Most Important People and Events in the History of Science. Touchstone. MacLeod, R. M. (2003). JJ Thomson and the discovery of the electron: From corpuscles to particles., 14(5), 441-449.