large/12904/worldswithinworlds_v1-3_1904_librivox_64kb_mp3/worldswithinworlds_01_asimov_64kb_238
large/12904/worldswithinworlds_v1-3_1904_librivox_64kb_mp3/worldswithinworlds_01_asimov_64kb
English
12904
In 1897, when the electron was discovered, a line of research that was to tie the two kinds of particles together had already begun. IN EIGHTEEN NINETY SEVEN WHEN THE ELECTRON WAS DISCOVERED A LINE OF RESEARCH THAT WAS TO TIE THE TWO KINDS OF PARTICLES TOGETHER HAD ALREADY BEGUN
ed. 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. There were the atoms, which made up ordinary matter, and the electrons, which made up electric current. Radioactivity Was there a connection between these two sets of particles—atoms and electrons? ONS 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 THERE WERE THE ATOMS WHICH MADE UP ORDINARY MATTER AND THE ELECTRONS WHICH MADE UP ELECTRIC CURRENT RADIO ACTIVITY WAS THERE A CONNECTION BETWEEN THESE TWO SETS OF PARTICLES ADAMS AND ELECTRONS
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