Who Discovered the Neutron?

During the early 20th century, physicists began to uncover the structure of the atom. Protons and electrons were discovered first. The neutron was discovered later. Protons were the subatomic particles with positive charges whereas the electrons were the subatomic particles with much lesser mass and negative charges.

How was the neutron discovered?

After physicists were able to identify protons and electrons, they found that the mass of the atom is not equal to the sum of the masses of electrons and protons. Therefore, there must be another subatomic particle they had not identified or discovered.

Who discovered the neutrons?

It took English physicist Sir James Chadwick (1891-1974) to discover the third subatomic particle, the neutron.

Sir James Chadwick, discoverer of the neutron, showed that the neutron has the same mass as the proton but does not have a charge like a proton or electron. Sir James Chadwick received a Nobel Prize in physics in 1935 for his discovery of the neutron.