Electron Facts

Electrons are the obvious basis of everything electronic. Electric voltage, electric current, electromagnetism, radio wave emissions, infrared emissions, light emissions, x-ray emissions, cosmic ray emissions, chemical reactions, and many other things depend on properties of electrons. However, despite their importance and the fact that the electron was the first subatomic particle to be discovered, after many years of intense study important electron properties remain unknown. For example, the diameter of an electron is unknown. Electrons behave in some ways as point-like particles with no measurable dimensions and in other ways like large particles with embedded point-like charges. Despite all the electric and electronic applications that are so important to modern life, some of the most fundamental aspects of electrons remain unknown. ©2005 Tigertek, Inc. All rights reserved.

• January Fact-of-the-Day Index