The Millikan Oil Drop Experiment An experiment performed by Robert Millikan in 1909 determined the size of the charge

on an electron. He also determined that there was a smallest !nit charge" or that charge is #!antized . He recei$ed the %obel &rize for his work. 'e re going to explain that experiment here" and show how Millikan was able to determine the size of a charge on a single electron. 'hat Millikan did was to p!t a charge on a tiny drop of oil" and meas!re how strong an applied electric field had to be in order to stop the oil drop from falling. (ince he was able to work o!t the mass of the oil drop" and he co!ld calc!late the force of gra$ity on one drop" he co!ld then determine the electric charge that the drop m!st ha$e. )y $arying the charge on different drops" he noticed that the charge was always a m!ltiple of *1.+ x 10 *19 ," the charge on a single electron. -his meant that it was electrons carrying this !nit charge. Here s how it worked. Ha$e a look at the apparat!s he !sed.

An atomizer sprayed a fine mist of oil droplets into the chamber. (ome of these tiny droplets fell thro!gh a hole in the !pper floor. Millikan first let them fall !ntil they reached terminal $elocity. /sing the microscope" he meas!red their terminal $elocity" and by !se of a form!la" calc!lated the mass of each oil drop. %ext" Millikan applied a charge to the falling drops by ill!minating the bottom chamber with x*rays. -his ca!sed the air to become ionized" and electrons to attach themsel$es to the oil drops. )y attaching a battery to the plates abo$e and below this bottom chamber" he was able to apply an electric $oltage. -he electric field prod!ced in the bottom chamber by this $oltage wo!ld act on the charged oil drops0 if the $oltage was 1!st right" the electromagnetic force wo!ld 1!st balance the force of gra$ity on a drop" and the drop wo!ld hang s!spended in mid*air. %ow yo! try it. ,lick here to open a sim!lation of Millikan s chamber. 2irst" allow the drops to fall. %otice how they accelerate at first" d!e to gra$ity. )!t #!ickly" air

resistance ca!ses them to reach terminal $elocity. %ow foc!s on a single falling drop" and ad1!st the electric field !pwards !ntil the drop remains s!spended in mid*air. At that instant" for that drop" the electric force on it exactly e#!als the force of gra$ity on it. (ome drops ha$e more electrons than others" so will re#!ire a higher $oltage to stop. 'hen yo! $e finished playing with the apparat!s" close the window and we ll contin!e. 3.4." let s look at the calc!lation Millikan was now able to do. 'hen a drop is s!spended" its weight m 5 g is exactly e#!al to the electric force applied # 56

-he $al!es of 6" the applied electric field" m the mass of a drop" and g" the acceleration d!e to gra$ity" are all known $al!es. Millikan determined the charge on a drop. -hen he redid the experiment n!mero!s times" each time $arying the strength of the x*rays ionizing the air" so that differing n!mbers of electrons wo!ld 1!mp onto the oil molec!les each time. He obtained $ario!s $al!es for #. -he charge # on a drop was always a m!ltiple of *1.+ x 10 *19 ," the charge on a single electron. -his n!mber was the one Millikan was looking for" and it also showed that the $al!e was #!antized0 the smallest !nit of charge was this amo!nt" and it was the charge on a single electron.