Thomson, Sir Joseph John, 1856-1940 (Knight, physicist)
Dates
- Existence: 1856 - 1940
Biography
Joseph John Thomson (1856-1940) was born in Manchester and attended Owens College, Manchester, in 1871. Thomson won a scholarship to Trinity College, Cambridge, and in 1876 came to the university to read for the Mathematical Tripos. He was elected a fellow of Trinity, and in 1885 was appointed Cavendish Professor of Experimental Physics. Thomson began his life-long investigation of the passage of electricity through gases before his appointment as Cavendish Professor. His work was given impetus in 1895 by Rontgen's discovery of X-rays which Thomson found caused gases through which they passed to become conductors of electricity. Thomson investigated the nature of this phenomenon with Ernest Rutherford, and from their research they were able to determine the process by which a current is passed through a gas and the role X-rays play in this process. Thomson proceeded to the study of discharge-cathode rays. His work led to him to conclude that the rays were a fundamental constituent of the atom, carrying negative electricity, and that their number and arrangement in the atom determined that atom's position in the periodic table. When Thomson first put forward his theory in 1897 his ideas were greeted with scepticism, but two more years of research by himself and others provided the experimental evidence to confirm his ideas about the electron. Thomson continued to study the structure of the atom and the arrangement of electrons within it, but from 1906 to 1914 he also turned his attention to the study of positive rays. He developed and refined the techniques used to photograph positive rays in the discharge tube. The increased sensitivity of his apparatus allowed him to identify new atomic groupings and isolate for the first time isotopes as unstable elements. Thomson resigned as Cavendish Professor in favour of Rutherford in 1919, but held a special chair until his death. He was active outside the university in urging recognition of the importance of scientific education and research to the country as a whole. During the First World War he served on the Board of Invention and Research (B.I.R.), set up by the Admiralty to encourage and coordinate naval research. He was also a member of the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research and became the first President of the Institute of Physics. Thomson also presided over the Royal Commission report on the position of natural science in the education system of Great Britain. In 1915 he was elected President of the Royal Society, which he headed until 1920. In 1919 he was appointed Master of Trinity College, Cambridge, and devoted the last years of his life to running its affairs. He died on 30 August 1940.
Found in 16 Collections and/or Records:
Herbert Watson: Notes taken at J.J. Thomson's lectures
Notes on lectures given by J.J. Thomson on a wide range of subjects. There are ninety-one numbered pages; the rest of the volume is unused. At the front are two letters concerning the collection: from H.E. Watson to Professor N.F. Mott, Cavendish Laboratory, Cambridge, 19 September 1961, and an unsigned letter to Watson, 13 August 1962.
Letter from Adam, Walter (Academy Assistance Council, Clare Market, London), 14 Nov. 1935
Letter from J.C. Maxwell to Joseph Thomson, 13 July 1871 (SLP 381)
Modern copies or transcriptions of correspondence of J.C. Maxwell and others in this collection or elsewhere, including typescripts and facsimiles
Letter from J.C. Maxwell to Joseph Thomson, 24 July 1871 (SLP 382)
Modern copies or transcriptions of correspondence of J.C. Maxwell and others in this collection or elsewhere, including typescripts and facsimiles
Letter from J.C. Maxwell to Joseph Thomson, 2 Sep. 1872 (SLP 421)
Modern copies or transcriptions of correspondence of J.C. Maxwell and others in this collection or elsewhere, including typescripts and facsimiles
Letter from J.C. Maxwell to Joseph Thomson, 27 Mar. 1875 (SLP 557)
Modern copies or transcriptions of correspondence of J.C. Maxwell and others in this collection or elsewhere, including typescripts and facsimiles
Letter from J.C. Maxwell to Joseph Thomson, 26 June 1875 (SLP 562)
Modern copies or transcriptions of correspondence of J.C. Maxwell and others in this collection or elsewhere, including typescripts and facsimiles
Letter from J.C. Maxwell to Joseph Thomson, 8 July 1875 (SLP 564)
Modern copies or transcriptions of correspondence of J.C. Maxwell and others in this collection or elsewhere, including typescripts and facsimiles
Letter from J.C. Maxwell to Joseph Thomson, 25 June 1879 (SLP 750)
Modern copies or transcriptions of correspondence of J.C. Maxwell and others in this collection or elsewhere, including typescripts and facsimiles
Letter from J.J. Thomson to William Garnett, 17 Feb 1904
The collection consists of the executorship papers of Mrs Maxwell, letters and a speech by William Garnett.
Letter from Joseph Thomson to J.C. Maxwell, 21 July 1871 (SLP 382n)
Modern copies or transcriptions of correspondence of J.C. Maxwell and others in this collection or elsewhere, including typescripts and facsimiles
Letter from Joseph Thomson to J.C. Maxwell, 11 Jan. 1873 (SLP 421n)
Modern copies or transcriptions of correspondence of J.C. Maxwell and others in this collection or elsewhere, including typescripts and facsimiles
Letter from Joseph Thomson to J.C. Maxwell, 16 July 1879 (SLP 750n)
Modern copies or transcriptions of correspondence of J.C. Maxwell and others in this collection or elsewhere, including typescripts and facsimiles
Letter from Sir Joseph J. Thomson (1856-1940) to [Sir Joseph?] Larmor, 7 May 1890
Correction for curvature for slit in guard ring electronometer
Letter to Adam, Walter
Rutherford is delighted it is possible for [Mathilde Hertz] to receive an award. He feels that the AAC's attitude is of as much symbolic as practical importance due to the prestige 'Germany of the old days' gained from [Heinrich Hertz's] discoveries. Will write to Thomson about new soureces of funds for her.
Sir Joseph John Thomson: Correspondence and Papers
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