JJ Thomson

Joseph John Thomson was born on December 18, 1856 near Manchester, England. His father died when "J.J.." was only sixteen. The young Thomson attended Owens College in Manchester, where his professor of mathematics encouraged him to apply for a scholarship at Trinity College, one of the most prestigious of the colleges at Cambridge University. Thomson won the scholarship, and in 1880 finished second in his class in the grueling graduation examination in mathematics. Trinity gave him a …

…kind of "electron" described by Larmor's theory. Gradually scientists accepted Thomson's first and second hypotheses, although with some subtle changes in their meaning. Experiments by Thomson, Lenard, and others through the crucial year of 1897 were not enough to settle the uncertainties. In 1906, Thomson won the Nobel Peace Prize for his work and in 1918 he became the master of his college. J.J. deceased on August 30th, 1940. Real understanding required many more experiments over later years