Sir Joseph John Thomson, British physicist, b. 1856, d. 1940. He was educated at Trinity college, Cambridge. He held positions both there and at the Royal Institution, London.

Sir Thomson's research interests included atomic structure and electricity and magnetism. Through his study of cathode rays, he discovered the electron. Also, he discovered a method for separating different kinds of atoms and molecules, work which contributed to later studies of isotopes.

He was awarded the 1906 Nobel Prize

"in recognition of the great merits of his theoretical and experimental investigations on the conduction of electricity by gases".

Back to Nobel Prizes: Physics

Researched on www.nobel.se

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