Question

Suppose you made up your own ‘atom’, as Thomson described, using clay for the positive charge and small beads for the electrons spread through it. What will happen if the positive charge on the clay is lesser than the total negative charge of the beads?

Answer 1

The atom would no longer be electrically neutral. Its net charge would be negative, because the total negative charge of the beads would exceed the positive charge of the clay. In Thomson's model, the positive charge must exactly balance the electrons for the atom to be neutral. So the model would represent a negatively charged ion, not a neutral atom.