14 Facts About Electrons

Electrons belong to the first generation of the lepton particle family, and are generally thought to be elementary particles because they have no known components or substructure.

Electrons are involved in many applications such as tribology or frictional charging, electrolysis, electrochemistry, battery technologies, electronics, welding, cathode-ray tubes, photoelectricity, photovoltaic solar panels, electron microscopes, radiation therapy, lasers, gaseous ionization detectors and particle accelerators.

Electrons can participate in nuclear reactions, such as nucleosynthesis in stars, where they are known as beta particles.

Electrons can be created through beta decay of radioactive isotopes and in high-energy collisions, for instance when cosmic rays enter the atmosphere.

Electrons gave them the modern charge nomenclature of positive and negative respectively.

Electrons was able to estimate the value of this elementary charge e by means of Faraday's laws of electrolysis.

Electrons then showed in 1874 that the cathode rays can turn a small paddle wheel when placed in their path.

Electrons designated these particles alpha and beta, on the basis of their ability to penetrate matter.

Electrons further showed that the negatively charged particles produced by radioactive materials, by heated materials and by illuminated materials were universal.

Electrons have the lowest mass of any charged lepton and belong to the first-generation of fundamental particles.

Electrons are identical particles because they cannot be distinguished from each other by their intrinsic physical properties.

Electrons inside conducting solids, which are quasi-particles themselves, when tightly confined at temperatures close to absolute zero, behave as though they had split into three other quasiparticles: spinons, orbitons and holons.

Electrons are thought to be created at the event horizon of these stellar remnants.

Electrons are important in cathode-ray tubes, which have been extensively used as display devices in laboratory instruments, computer monitors and television sets.