large/12904/worldswithinworlds_v1-3_1904_librivox_64kb_mp3/worldswithinworlds_01_asimov_64kb_18
large/12904/worldswithinworlds_v1-3_1904_librivox_64kb_mp3/worldswithinworlds_01_asimov_64kb
English
12904
There were the atoms, which made up ordinary matter, and the electrons, which made up electric current. THERE WERE THE ATOMS WHICH MADE UP ORDINARY MATTER AND THE ELECTRONS WHICH MADE UP ELECTRIC CURRENT
 on the mass of the electrons. Ordinary atoms could be made to carry an electric charge and by comparing their behavior with those of electrons, some of the properties of electrons could be determined. There were, for instance, good reasons to suppose that the electron carried a charge of the same size as one that a hydrogen atom could be made to carry. The electrons, however, were much easier to pull out of their straight-line path than the charged hydrogen atom was. The conclusion drawn from this was that the electron had much less mass than the hydrogen atom. Thomson was able to show, indeed, that the electron was much lighter than the hydrogen atom, which was the lightest of all the atoms. Nowadays we know the relationship quite exactly. We know that it would take 1837.11 electrons to possess the mass of a single hydrogen atom. The electron is therefore a “subatomic particle”; the first of this sort to be discovered. In 1897, then, two types of mass-containing particles were known. ATOMS COULD BE MADE TO CARRY AN ELECTRIC CHARGE AND BY COMPARING THEIR BEHAVIOUR WITH THOSE OF ELECTRONS SOME OF THE PROPERTIES OF ELECTRONS COULD BE DETERMINED THERE WERE FOR INSTANCE GOOD REASONS TO SUPPOSE THAT THE ELECTRON CARRIED A CHARGE OF THE SAME SIZE AS ONE THAT A HYDROGEN ATOM COULD BE MADE TO CARRY THE ELECTRONS HOWEVER WERE MUCH EASIER TO PULL OUT OF THEIR STRAIGHT LINE PATH THAN THE CHARGED HYDROGEN ATOM WAS THE CONCLUSION DRAWN FROM THIS WAS THAT THE ELECTRON HAD MUCH LESS MASS THAN THE HYDROGEN ATOM THOMPSON WAS ABLE TO SHOW INDEED THAT THE ELECTRON WAS MUCH LIGHTER THAN THE HYDROGEN ATOM WHICH WAS THE LIGHTEST OF ALL THE ATOMS NOWADAYS WE KNOW THE RELATIONSHIP QUITE EXACTLY WE KNOW THAT IT WOULD TAKE ONE THOUSAND EIGHT HUNDRED THIRTY SEVEN POINT ONE ELECTRONS TO POSSESS THE MASS OF A SINGLE HYDROGEN ATOM THE ELECTRON IS THEREFORE A SUB ATOMIC PARTICLE THE FIRST OF THIS SORT TO BE DISCOVERED IN EIGHTEEN NINETY SEVEN THEN TWO TYPES OF MASS CONTAINING PARTICLES WERE KNOWN
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