Thursday, 21 July 2011

Joseph John Thomson (1856-1940)

Joseph John Thomson (1856-1940), professor of Physics  at the Cambridge University, proved in 1897 that Cathode rays were streams of particles (corpuscles) that carried a negative charge and were 2000 times lighter than the hydrogen atom and called electrons. He used his new developed CRT to measure the mass to charge m/e ratio. You can find a detailed description here at the University of Canberra. Thomson's work has been a great contribution in the development of Cathode Ray tubes. A complete description of Thomson can be found at theAmerican Institute of Physics.  Including audio recordings of him about his discovery, definitely a must see website for anyone interested.JJ Thomson developed his tube slightly earlier than Braun's  tube and has two internal statically deflection plates  instead of the magnetic deflection Braun used in his early experiments. Although Thomsons type of deflection is used in many CRT designs, the common name in most European country's is still Braun tube.
                                                          Thomsons experimental tube

                                                               
                                                            

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