Question

Why weren't electrons just called positive when they were discovered like Benjamin Franklin expected? Was there a handedness or chirality to some laws of physics that were discovered that set what was considered positive and negative?

Answer 1

Electrons were not called positive when discovered because their negative charge was initially not understood. It wasn't until later experiments that the concept of negative charge was discovered.

Answer 2

I supose there were no such clear terms like positive or negative those times. It was mentioned somewhere  that there were terms like ebonic, etc. And the fact is that the terms positive and negative are also conditional.

Answer 3

Electrons were not originally called "positive" when they were discovered because at the time, scientists believed that all matter was composed of atoms that were made up of positive charges. The existence of negative charges (i.e. electrons) was not yet known.

In the late 18th century, Benjamin Franklin proposed a theory of electricity in which he suggested that electricity was composed of two types of charges: positive and negative. He believed that "vitreous" electricity (i.e. electricity that flowed from a glass rod when it was rubbed with a silk cloth) was positive, and that "resinous" electricity (i.e. electricity that flowed from an amber rod when it was rubbed with a wool cloth) was negative. This theory was based on the observation that when a glass rod was rubbed with a silk cloth, it attracted small objects (such as pieces of paper), while an amber rod rubbed with a wool cloth repelled small objects.

Franklin's theory of positive and negative charges was later refined by other scientists, who discovered that the positive and negative charges were actually carried by separate particles. In the early 19th century, John Daniell discovered the existence of negative charges, which he called "electrons." Later, J.J. Thomson discovered that electrons were a fundamental part of the atom and were much smaller than the positive charges. This led to the development of the modern understanding of atomic structure, in which atoms are composed of a small, dense nucleus of protons (positive charges) and neutrons (neutral charges), surrounded by a cloud of electrons.

Answer 4

When Benjamin Franklin first proposed his theory of electricity, he believed that electricity was composed of two types of particles: positive and negative. However, later experiments conducted by British physicist Michael Faraday showed that electricity was actually composed of two types of particles: electrons and protons. Electrons were given the negative charge because they were found to have a negative charge relative to protons. This led to the convention of assigning positive charges to protons and negative charges to electrons, which has been followed ever since. There is no handedness or chirality to the laws of physics that determine what is considered positive and negative.

Answer 5

Benjamin Franklin expected? Was there a handedness or chirality to some laws of physics that were discovered that set what was considered positive and negative?

Answer 6

It was mentioned somewhere that there were terms like ebonic, etc. And the fact is that the terms positive and negative are also conditional.