NextPrevious

Physics and Chemistry

Matter

Who is generally regarded as the discoverer of the electron, the proton, and the neutron?

The British physicist Sir Joseph John Thomson (1856–1940) in 1897 researched electrical conduction in gases, which led to the important discovery that cathode rays consist of negatively charged particles called electrons. The discovery of the electron inaugurated the electrical theory of the atom, and this, along with other work, entitled Thomson to be regarded as the founder of modern atomic physics.

Ernest Rutherford discovered the proton in 1919. He also predicted the existence of the neutron, later discovered by his colleague, James Chadwick (1891–1974). Chadwick was awarded the 1935 Nobel Prize in Physics for this discovery.



Close

This is a web preview of the "The Handy Science Answer Book" app. Many features only work on your mobile device. If you like what you see, we hope you will consider buying. Get the App