J.J.+Thomson

ABOUT JOSEPH JOHN THOMSON: J.J. Thomson was born on December 18, 1856 in Cheetham Hill in a suburb of Manchester. In 1870 he enrolled in Owens College and in 1876 he entered the Trinity College, Cambridge. He remained part of this college for the rest of his life. In 1883 he became a Lecturer and a Master in 1918. In 1884, Thomson won the Adams Prize for his //Treatise on the Motion of Vortex Rings.// More of his work including his //Application of Dynamics to Physics and Chemistry// and his //Notes on Recent Researches in Electricity and Magnetism// were released.His most famous contribution to the chemistry world was his discovery of the electron in 1897. He also proposed a new model of the atom in 1904 which he called the "Plum Pudding Model."

THE PLUM PUDDING MODEL:

This is the model composed my J.J. Thomson. He calls this the "Plum Pudding Model" because his explanation for the structure of an atom resembled a dessert that was enjoyed within England. In the model, the plums represent negatively charged particles called electrons, and the pudding represents positively charged fluid. In Thomson's model, the negatively charged particles floated within the positively charged fluid.

POSITIVES: 1) The model is simple and easy to understand. 2) The model is accurate.

NEGATIVES: 1) Although the model is not incorrect, it did not answer fundamental questions about the atom. 2) The model does not show all of the components within an atom.

BY: KATELYN NEWTON