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CBSE Class 11-science Answered

Explain Milikan's oil drop experiment? Why did he use an oil drop ,why not water droplet?
Asked by | 06 Apr, 2012, 09:05: PM
answered-by-expert Expert Answer
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 'unit' charge, or that charge is 'quantized'. He received the Nobel Prize for his work. We're going to explain that experiment here, and show how Millikan was able to determine the size of a charge on a single electron. 
In the apparatus, at the top and bottom were metal plates hooked to a battery, making one positive (red in animation) and the other negative (blue in animation). Since each droplet picked up a slight charge of static electricity as it traveled through the air, the speed of its motion could be controlled by altering the voltage on the plates. When the space between the metal plates is ionized by radiation (e.g., X rays), electrons from the air attach themselves to oil droplets, causing them to acquire a negative charge. Millikan observed one drop after another, varying the voltage and noting the effect. After many repetitions he concluded that charge could only assume certain fixed values. The smallest of these portions was none other than the charge of a single electron.
 
As water drops evaporates very easily he used oil instead.

Answered by | 07 Apr, 2012, 05:15: PM
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