In 1897 his research on electrical conduction in gases led to the discovery
that cathode rays consist of negatively charged particles, now called
electrons. In 1911 he identied positive rays and their application to an
analysis of neon. Under his direction the Cavendish Laboratory became world
famous and many prominent figures of atomic research studied there.
In 1906, JJ Thomson was awarded the Nobel Prize for
Physics, ”in recognition of the great merits of his theoretical and
experimental investigations on the conduction of electricity by gases•.
So, arbitrary it may be, but like blue plaques in spatial terms, it serves,
quite rightly, to focus attention upon their achievements. In 1997, the
centenary of his discovery of the electron, a blue plaque was unveiled in
Free School Lane, Cambridge. It reads:
”Here in 1897 at the old Cavendish Laboratory J.J. Thomson discovered the electron subsequently recognised as the first fundamental particle of physics and the basis of chemical bonding, electronics and computers•.
Other achievements:
Page last updated 7 November 2013