In his experiments on “cathode rays” during which he discovered the electron, J. J. Thomson showed that the same beam deflections resulted with tubes having cathodes made of different materials and containing various gases before evacuation. (a) Are these observations important? Explain your answer. (b) When he applied various potential differences to the deflection plates and turned on the magnetic coils, alone or in combination with the deflection plates, Thomson observed that the fluorescent screen continued to show a single small glowing patch. Argue whether his observation is important. (c) Do calculations to show that the charge-to-mass ratio Thomson obtained was huge compared with that of any macroscopic object or of any ionized atom or molecule. How can one make sense of this comparison? (d) Could Thomson observe any deflection of the beam due to gravitation? Do a calculation to argue for your answer. Note: To obtain a visibly glowing patch on the fluorescent screen, the potential difference between the slits and the cathode must be 100 V or more.
In his experiments on “cathode rays” during which he discovered the electron, J. J. Thomson showed that the same beam deflections resulted with tubes having cathodes made of different materials and containing various gases before evacuation. (a) Are these observations important? Explain your answer. (b) When he applied various potential differences to the deflection plates and turned on the magnetic coils, alone or in combination with the deflection plates, Thomson observed that the fluorescent screen continued to show a single small glowing patch. Argue whether his observation is important. (c) Do calculations to show that the charge-to-mass ratio Thomson obtained was huge compared with that of any macroscopic object or of any ionized atom or molecule. How can one make sense of this comparison? (d) Could Thomson observe any deflection of the beam due to gravitation? Do a calculation to argue for your answer. Note: To obtain a visibly glowing patch on the fluorescent screen, the potential difference between the slits and the cathode must be 100 V or more.
Trending now
This is a popular solution!
Step by step
Solved in 2 steps with 4 images
