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Chemistry Forums for Students => High School Chemistry Forum => Topic started by: miguel_91 on August 15, 2008, 07:58:08 PM

Title: Can somebody explain me about Thomson's experiment?
Post by: miguel_91 on August 15, 2008, 07:58:08 PM

Hi, my first message  :) I hope to be replied  ;). (By the way sorry for my bad English)

Well I need an explication about how did Thomson guess the mass of an atom by comparing it with the Hydrogen and using cathode rays.

Title: Re: Can somebody explain me about Thomson's experiment?
Post by: cliverlong on August 16, 2008, 05:25:24 AM

I have only skim read, but Thomson's own Nobel lecture of 1906 contains information on charge mass ratio of electrons (called corpuscles by Thomson) which, combined with other data led him to a mass for the hydrogen atom / ion.

http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/physics/laureates/1906/thomson-lecture.html

You will see he didn't guess the mass. He measured, used other data, had a theory, then calculated.


Clive

Title: Re: Can somebody explain me about Thomson's experiment?
Post by: miguel_91 on August 16, 2008, 11:30:35 AM

Thank you I got it by reading an article about charge mass ratio. =)