Through experiments involving the behavior of charged objects, scientists inferred that atoms must contain charged particles. This understanding was further solidified by the discovery of sub-atomic particles like electrons and protons.
How did scientists in the late 19th and early 20th centuries come to understand that atoms contain charged particles?
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Through experiments like J.J. Thomson’s cathode ray tube, which revealed electrons’ existence. Later, Ernest Rutherford’s gold foil experiment demonstrated atoms’ mostly empty space, with a dense nucleus. These findings led to the understanding of atoms as containing charged particles: electrons, and a positively charged nucleus.