Who identified the electron?

          Electrons, as we know, are negatively charged subatomic particles. They are very important because of their role in various physical phenomena such as electricity, magnetism, etc.

           The history of electrons dates back to 1838, when Richard Laming put forth the concept of an indivisible quantity of electric charge to explain the chemical properties of atoms. Years later, in 1891, Irish physicist George Johnstone Stoney named this charge ‘electron’. Six years after that, British physicist J.J. Thomson identified the particle. The word ‘electron’ is thought to be a combination of the words ‘electric’ and ‘ion’.

           Inside the atom, electrons are in constant motion, revolving around the nucleus.

           They possess a certain amount of energy to maintain distance from the oppositely charged protons inside the nucleus.