Practicing Success

Target Exam

CUET

Subject

General Test

Chapter

General Knowledge

Topic

Chemistry

Question:

Who measured the mass and charge of electron? 

Options:

Goldstein 

Rutherford

Dalton 

Thomson 

Correct Answer:

Thomson 

Explanation:

The correct answer is option 4. Thomson.

J.J. Thomson conducted experiments with cathode rays in the late 19th century, which led to the measurement of both the mass and charge of the electron.

Thomson's experiments involved the use of cathode ray tubes, which were partially evacuated glass tubes containing electrodes. When a high voltage was applied across the electrodes, a beam of cathode rays was observed to travel from the cathode (negative electrode) towards the anode (positive electrode).

Through a series of experiments involving the deflection of cathode rays by electric and magnetic fields, Thomson was able to determine that cathode rays were composed of negatively charged particles that were much lighter than atoms. He termed these particles "corpuscles," which are now known as electrons.

Thomson also measured the charge-to-mass ratio (e/m) of the electron by observing the deflection of cathode rays in electric and magnetic fields. By applying known electric and magnetic fields of varying strengths and observing the resulting deflections of the cathode rays, Thomson was able to calculate the ratio of the charge of the electron to its mass.

The actual values of the mass and charge of the electron were later refined by subsequent experiments, including the oil drop experiment conducted by Robert Millikan, which provided a more accurate determination of the charge of the electron. However, Thomson's pioneering work laid the foundation for our understanding of the electron as a fundamental particle with a negative charge and a relatively small mass compared to the atom.