Editing J. J. Thomson (section)

====Electrical charge ====
[[File:JJ Thomson Cathode Ray Tube 1.png|left|thumb|The cathode-ray tube by which J.&nbsp;J. Thomson demonstrated that cathode rays could be deflected by a magnetic field, and that their negative charge was not a separate phenomenon]]
While supporters of the aetherial theory accepted the possibility that negatively charged particles are produced in [[Crookes tube]]s,{{Citation needed|date=June 2012}} they believed that they are a mere by-product and that the cathode rays themselves are immaterial.{{Citation needed|date=June 2012}} Thomson set out to investigate whether or not he could actually separate the charge from the rays.

Thomson constructed a Crookes tube with an [[electrometer]] set to one side, out of the direct path of the cathode rays. Thomson could trace the path of the ray by observing the phosphorescent patch it created where it hit the surface of the tube. Thomson observed that the electrometer registered a charge only when he deflected the cathode ray to it with a magnet. He concluded that the negative charge and the rays were one and the same.<ref name="referenceB"/>
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