Question

What are the objections to the Thomson model of an atom?

Answer 1

Postulates of Thomson of an atom:

“Thomson proposed the model of an atom identical to that of a Christmas pudding”.

• An atom is made up of a sphere that is positively charged and the electrons are placed in it.
• The magnitude of negative/positive charges is equal.
• Thus, the atom as a whole is electrically neutral.

Objections of Thomson of an atom:

• This model treats both the positive/negative charges as static.
• The model fails to explain the presence of nucleus in an atom.
• Thomson model fails to explain the properties of electrons/protons/neutrons.
• He proposed a theory without any experimental observations.