The Discovery Of The Electron Essay Research

The Discovery Of The Electron Essay, Research Paper

The Discovery Of The Electron

The electron was discovered in 1895 by J.J. Thomson in the form of

cathode rays, and was the first elementary particle to be identified. The

electron is the lightest known particle which possesses an electric charge. Its

rest mass is Me 9.1 x 10 -28 g, about 1/1836 of the mass

of the proton or neutron.

The charge of the electron is -e = -4.8 x 10^-10 esu