jan 1, 1879 - Sir William Crookes' Studies

Description:

In 1879, Sir William Crookes studied the effects of sending an electric current through a gas in a sealed tube. The tube had electrodes at either end and a flow of electrically charged particles moved from one of electrodes. This electrode was called the cathode, and the particles were known as cathode rays. The particles were first believed to be negatively charged atoms or molecules. However, subsequent experiments showed that these particles could penetrate thin sheets of material which would not be possible if the particles were as large as atoms or molecules.