J. J. Thomson

High school (ages 12+)
Science & Technology

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/j-j-thomson

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. When was J. J. Thomson born?December 18, 1856
2. When did J. J. Thomson die?August 30, 1940 (age 83)
3. Where was J. J. Thomson born?Cheetham Hill, near Manchester, England
4. Who was J. J. Thomson?J. J. Thomson was a British scientist born in 1856 who studied physics and mathematics. He is famous for discovering the electron, a tiny particle inside atoms.
5. What is an electron?An electron is a very small particle that has a negative electric charge. Thomson found it by studying cathode rays in a tube.

Cathode Rays: Streams of electrons produced in a vacuum tube when a high voltage is applied across electrodes.
Electron: A stable subatomic particle with a negative elementary electric charge, significantly lighter than a proton or neutron.
Isotopes: Atoms of the same chemical element that have different numbers of neutrons, thus differing in relative atomic mass.
Mass Spectrometry: An analytical technique used to determine the mass-to-charge ratio of ions, enabling the identification and quantification of chemical compounds.