George Johnstone Stoney | |
---|---|
Born | |
Died | 5 July 1911 Notting Hill, London, England | (aged 85)
Alma mater | Trinity College Dublin (BA, MA) |
Known for | Coining the term 'electron' Stoney units |
Spouse | Margaret Sophia Stoney |
Children | 5, including Edith and Florence |
Relatives | Bindon Blood Stoney (brother) George Francis FitzGerald (nephew) |
Awards | FRS (1861) Boyle Medal (1899) |
Scientific career | |
Fields | Physics |
Institutions | Queen's College Galway |
George Johnstone Stoney FRS (15 February 1826 – 5 July 1911) was an Irish physicist. He is most famous for introducing the term electron as the "fundamental unit quantity of electricity".[1]
He initially named it "electrolion" in 1881,[2] and later named it “electron” in 1891.[3][4][5] He published around 75 scientific papers during his lifetime.