# George Paget Thomson

_English physicist (1892–1975)_

Canonical: https://diginpl.com/people/george-paget-thomson
Last updated: 2026-11-01

> Sir George Paget Thomson was a British experimental physicist who shared the 1937 Nobel Prize in Physics with Clinton Davisson "for their experimental discovery of the diffraction of electrons by crystals." His father, J. J. Thomson, won the Nobel Prize in 1906 "for his theoretical and experimental investigations on the conduction of electricity by gases". It has been said that the elder Thomson won the Nobel for showing the electron is a particle, the younger for showing it is a wave.

## Quick facts

- **Born:** 3 May 1892 ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q133846#P569))
- **Place of birth:** Cambridge ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q133846#P19))
- **Died:** 10 September 1975 ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q133846#P570))
- **Place of death:** Cambridge ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q133846#P20))
- **Citizenship:** United Kingdom; United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q133846#P27))
- **Occupation:** physicist; nuclear physicist; university teacher ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q133846#P106))
- **Education:** Trinity College ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q133846#P69))
- **Spouse:** Kathleen Buchanan Adam Smith ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q133846#P26))
- **Positions held:** military officer ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q133846#P39))
- **Awards:** Fellow of the Royal Society; Royal Medal; Nobel Prize in Physics; Howard N. Potts Medal; Hughes Medal; Faraday Medal; Royal Society Bakerian Medal; Knight Bachelor; Guthrie Lecture; Royal Society Bakerian Medal; Honorary Fellow of the Royal Society Te Apārangi ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q133846#P166))

## Questions

**When was George Paget Thomson born?**  
George Paget Thomson was born on 3 May 1892 in Cambridge.

**What positions has George Paget Thomson held?**  
Positions held by George Paget Thomson include: military officer.

**Where did George Paget Thomson study?**  
George Paget Thomson was educated at Trinity College.

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## Sources

- [Wikipedia (English): George Paget Thomson](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Paget_Thomson) — [CC BY-SA 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)
- [Wikidata item Q133846](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q133846) — [CC0 1.0](https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/)
- [Image: George Paget Thomson.jpg by Nobel foundation (Public domain)](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:George_Paget_Thomson.jpg)

## Licence and attribution

Text from the Wikipedia article George Paget Thomson, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. This page's text is shared under the same licence. Facts from Wikidata (CC0). Image: George Paget Thomson.jpg — Nobel foundation, Public domain.

## Cite this page

"George Paget Thomson". DigiNepal. Last updated 1 November 2026. https://diginpl.com/people/george-paget-thomson. Retrieved 5 November 2026.