what is the evidence for the existance of electrons?

Answer 1

Millikan's oil drop experiment, now there was a genius who did physics and not just theoretical math.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oil-drop_experiment

The physics department where I went to college had a small accelerator and one of the professors took us to watch him fire a stream of electrons at a piece of paraffin and they made a hole in the wax.

Exactly how to envision an electron is still puzzling. I read some time ago about the possibility that an electron is actually made up of even smaller virtual particles which wink in and out of existence. I read this a long time ago and so and never really figured out what it meant.


EDIT ADD You got some good answers, but you might want to re-post the question in Physics rather than astronomy

Answer 2

The Existence of a micromass structure having a particular motion energy (charge) called electron was discovered by Sir John Joseph Thompson in 1897 thru experiment at the Cavendish laboratory in Cambrige University.This led to Understanding of the mass structure of the atom, and also the electrostatic mechanism and the flow of electric current. He is basically the father of modern Electronics.

However , it was G. Stoney which had originally postulated in 1894 the existence of a discrete particule of electricity which he coined as Electron.

So the Electron was discovered 3 years after this mysterious particule which had been coined as" Electron."

Answer 3

JJ Thompson made charged particles by connecting two separated wires to a high voltage battery, causing a stream of charged particles.

In a tube with just a little bit of the right gas, he could see the stream.

By using another battery at right angles, he could bend the stream. The amount it bent showed how much the particles weighed compared to how much charge they had, the ratio m/e.

The ratio was unexpectedly tiny. Either the particles had a huge charge or they were very light (and presumably small). Very light seemed more likely. Further experiments showed they were easily deflected by gas molecules and confirmed they were, in fact, light. JJ Thompson had discovered the electron. The discovery made him Sir Thompson, and won him the Nobel Prize.

See:

http://www.aip.org/history/electron/jjhome.htm
http://www.3rd1000.com/history/electrons.htm
http://library.thinkquest.org/13394/angielsk/athompd.html

Answer 4

Have you ever stuck your finger in a light socket?.....I have and I'm a believer now!........simple evidence exists in such things as electrocouples , thermo couples or crystal bending in which either an electron is caused to fall off of one end of a bent crystal or in that partciles are exchanged between two materials in the form of heat which is caused by electrical flow of electrons,.....in some cases, two materials will exchange materials in order to destroy each other and will give off electrons at their polar opposite ends......Ok, now that I've given you the answer for the existense of electrons you now have to go stcik your finger in the light socket like I did and then write me back. ok? there are several other forms of electron existence but then I'd be getting into plasma and sunplasmic gaseous physics and thats just too detailed for one answer,....put another nickel in the machine.

Answer 5

Probably the older vacuum tubes with cathode, anode and grids. They behave according to electron theory. A positlve potential on the anode draws electrons from the heated negative potential cathode and this flow can be controlled by varying potentials on the grids between Yeah, I know it's electron "theory", but this is kind of convincing that an invisible stream of something is moving inside the tube.

Answer 6

If you're looking at a CRT (Cathode Ray Tube) monitor, you're looking at the evidence. It's a stream of electrons that strike the phosphors on teh face of your monitor and make them glow.

Doug

Answer 7

Hi. The fact that you can write and send this question is one.

Answer 8

electricity.