Informe de Laboratorio / Inform of Laboratory

EXPERIMENTO DE MILLIKAN
Jose Cedillo1, Klever Ordoez2, Juan Marin3

Resumen

Abstract

En este informe de laboratorio se determina la

carga del electrn, usando para ello una gota de
aceite y un campo elctrico homogneo,
Para esto se usara el equipo Millikan, el cual
permite medir la intensidad de la fuerza elctrica
contra la fuerza de atraccin gravitatoria, usando
minsculas gotas de aceite suspendidas entre dos
placas de un condensador.
En la experimentacin se realiz la medicin de la
velocidad de descenso de la gota sin aplicacin de
campo elctrico, para posteriormente obtener un
equilibrio en la misma por medio de una corriente
elctrica, la cual carga la gota y la hace descender
cargada elctricamente.

In this laboratory report the load of the electron is

determined, using for it a drop of oil and a
homogeneous electric field,
For this the team Millikan was used, which allows to
measure the intensity of the electric force against the
force of gravitational attraction, using minuscule
drops of oil suspended badges of a condenser
between two.
In the experimentation he/she was carried out the
mensuration of the speed of descent of the drop
without application of electric field, he/she stops later
on to obtain a balance in the same one by means of
an electric current, which loads the drop and he/she
makes it to descend loaded electrically.

Palabras Clave: Carga Elctrica, Experimento de Keywords: Electrical charge, Millikan's experiment,
Millikan, Electrn.
Electron.

12 3

Estudiante de la Carrera de Ingeniera Mecnica, Universidad Politcnica Salesiana sede Cuenca.

Informe de Laboratorio / Inform of Laboratory

Initially the oil drops are allowed to fall between

the plates with the electric field turned off. They
very quickly reach a terminal velocity because of
friction with the air in the chamber.
A likely looking drop is selected and kept in the
middle of the field of view by alternately
switching off the voltage until all the other drops
have fallen. The drop is allowed to fall and its
terminal velocity v1 in the absence of an electric
field is calculated.
The drag force acting on the drop can then be
worked out using Stokes' law:[4]

1. Theoretical Framework
1.1 The millikan oil drop experiment
The oil drop experiment was an experiment
performed by Robert A. Millikan and Harvey
Fletcher in 1909 to measure the elementary
electric charge.
The experiment entailed balancing the
downward gravitational force with the upward
drag and electric forces on tiny charged droplets
of oil suspended between two metal electrodes.
1.2 Background
Starting in 1908, while a professor at the
University of Chicago, Millikan, with the
significant input of Fletcher,[1] and after
improving his setup, published his seminal study
in 1913.[2] This remains controversial since
papers found after Fletcher's death describe
events in which Millikan coerced Fletcher into
relinquishing authorship as a condition for
receiving his PhD.[3]

(1)
Where v1 is the terminal velocity of the falling
drop, is the viscosity of the air, and r is the
radius of the drop.
The weight w is the volume D multiplied by the
density and the acceleration due to gravity g.
However, what is needed is the apparent weight.
The apparent weight in air is the true weight
minus the up thrust (which equals the weight of
air displaced by the oil drop). For a perfectly
spherical droplet the apparent weight can be
written as:[5]

1.3 Experimental procedure

Millikans and Fletcher's apparatus incorporated
a parallel pair of horizontal metal plates. By
applying a potential difference across the plates,
a uniform electric field was created in the space
between them.

(2)
At terminal velocity the oil drop is not
accelerating. Therefore the total force acting on
it must be zero and the two forces F and w must
cancel one another out. This implies:
(3)

Simplified scheme of Millikans oil drop experiment

Once r is calculated, w can easily be worked out.

Now the field is turned back on, and the electric
force on the drop is

A fine mist of oil droplets was sprayed into a

chamber above the plates. The oil was of a type
usually used in vacuum apparatus and was
chosen because it had an extremely low vapour
pressure. Ordinary oil would evaporate under the
heat of the light source causing the mass of the
oil drop to change over the course of the
experiment.[4]

(4)
where q is the charge on the oil drop and E is the
electric field between the plates. For parallel
plates

1.4 Method

(5)
2

Apellido Autor et al / Titulo del Articulo

where V is the potential difference and d is the

distance between the plates.

3. Results and discussion

Next we will show the experimentation of the
practice, this experiment you the hiso for parts
one for the taking of measures of the drops of oil
in suspension and another for the mensuration of
drops in ascent and descent, for the one which
first we will show the well-known data of the
dimensions of the teams and of the estates of the
fluids.

One conceivable way to work out q would be to

adjust V until the oil drop remained steady. Then
we could equate FE with w. Also, determining
FE proves difficult because the mass of the oil
drop is difficult to determine without reverting to
the use of Stokes' Law.
A more practical approach is to turn V up
slightly so that the oil drop rises with a new
terminal velocity v2. Then:[5]

Table 1 Datos
Voltaje Aplicado entre placas
(V)
Distancia entre Placas (m)
Espacio para determinar la
Velocidad (m)
Densidad del Aceite (Kg/m3)
a 20 C
Coeficiente de la viscosidad
del aire (Kg.m/s) a 20 C
Densidad del Aire (kg/m3) a
20 C

(6)

2.

Materials and methods

For this demonstration of they used the teams of

Laboratory of the Polytechnic University
Salesiana, which consist of:

425
0.02
0.001
871
1.81x105

1.21

- 1 apparatus of Millikan
- 1 service unit for the team
- Feeding cables

For the results to obtain carry out the following

procedure.

For the obtaining of results in the experimentation,

he/she is carried out an observation of the physical
phenomenon, obtaining the necessary data for the
later one calculates and prosecution of the same
ones.

1. I dewed oil with the rubber pear among the

boards of the condenser in such a way that the
drops of oil are seen in the whole observation
field.
2. Displacing the reading microscope forms a
plane in which is seen sharply, as a luminous
point, the drop of oil selects.
3. Then put the switches OR and t down.
4. Light the switch of the condenser with the
switch OR and adjust a tension of (400 to 500 V)
with the revolvable potentiometer in such a way
that the selected drop of oil ascends 1 or 2 scale
divisions per second (in the ocular you leave like
he/she falls). Then to reduce the tension until the
drop of oil exactly is suspended.
5. Disconnect the tension of the condenser with
the switch U.
Method of Suspension
3

6. So soon the drop of oil is beside a mark of the

scale selected by you, begin the mensuration of
the time with the switch t.
7. So soon the drop of oil has descended other 20
marks of the scale (it corresponds to 1 mm) (in
the ocular you leave as that it ascends) it stops
the mensuration of the time with the switch t and
connect the tension of the condenser again with
the switch U. If the drop of oil moves along a
journey s' of x graduations of the scale of the
micrometer scale (= x.10-14 m), keeping then in
mind to the increase of the objective of 1.875
times, the road s really journey is: s=(x/1.875)
.10-4 m.
8. Repeat the mensuration for other drops of oil,
and score in the chart 2.

Table 3 Mtodo de Ascenso y Descenso

T (seg)
desce
nso

S' (m)
desce
nso

16.43

0.001

21.23

0.001

19.87

0.001

T
(seg)
asce
nso
15.8
4
18.9
5
22.4
4

S'
(m)
asce
nso
0.00
1
0.00
1
1

As it was indicated in the procedure the value of

s' it is a value of increase of the 1.875 times for
this the real journey serious s for 1 mm the
following one.

b) Method of the descent and ascent

9. So soon the drop of oil is beside a mark of the
scale selected by you, begin the mensuration of
the time with the switch t.
10. So soon the drop of oil has descended other
20 marks of the scale (it corresponds to 1 mm)
(in the ocular you leave as that it ascends),
connect the tension of the condenser again with
the switch U. This begins the mensuration of the
time automatically t2.
11. So soon the drop of oil is beside a mark of
the scale selected by you, begin the mensuration
of the time with the switch t.
12. Repeat the mensuration for other drops of oil.

Calculations
To carry out the calculations we help ourselves
of you formulate them proposals in the report of
Millikan of the laboratory of Physics, next the
following ones literal.
1) to calculate the radius average of a drop of oil.

Table 2 Mtodo de Suspensin

T (seg)
desce
nso

S' (m)
desce
nso

20.50

0.001

20.19

0.001

17.74

0.001

T
(seg)
asce
nso
22.6
8
17.7
5
20.0
8

S'
(m)
asce
nso
0.00
1
0.00
1
0.00
1

Table 4 Velocidades Promedio

Velocidades 1
Suspension Desc
1
2
3
Descenso
1
2
3

In a same way those that are obtained with the

literal b.
4

m/s
48.78x10-6
49.52x10-6
56.36x10-6
60.86x10-6
47.11x10-6
50.32x10-6

Apellido Autor et al / Titulo del Articulo

Velocidad 1
Promedio
Velocidades 2
Suspension Asc
1
2
3
Ascenso
1
2
3
Velocidad 2
Promedio

51.99x10-6

Consequently with the help of the mass of each

drop you can calculate the electric load of each
drop.

m/s
43.98x10-6
56.33x10-6
49.81x10-6

Taking into account that the radius average of

the drop is then of 0.704e-6 m we take out the
volume of the same one considering it a sphere.

63.13x10-6
52.77x10-6
44.56x10-6
52.76x10-6

The speed average 1 should be used since it is

the one that is in free fall.
Replacing the data in the radio equation, we have
the following result.

2) it calculates the practical value of and.

To calculate the practical value of and we will
use the following expression up to now using in
a same way the data of the chart 1 and the
calculated ones.

4. Conclusions
The proposed objectives were completed being
this the one of being able to measure the electric
load that possesses a particle in this case a drop of
oil, thanks to the mensuration of the experienced
force with the help of an electric field of wellknown magnitude.
The utilized formulas are previously already in the
report shown with those that depending that
necessity one had the one it was used that was
5

required as example the radius of the drop, their

carrying capacity, etc.
With regard to the experiment the difficulty of
seeing the drops since its size is microscopic in
spite of the help of the lens, in a same way the
difficulty of measuring its displacement due to
desenfoque, giving final results to a speed ascent
average and descent of 21 seg.
According to the results the necessary
expectations were obtained since to consider that
the experiment was realized in a successful way
the securities they are certainly similar to results
found in examples and previous experiments.

5. Annexes
1. As it would calculate the fundamental
electric load, acquired by the drops in the
experience. That it formulates it would use.

[1]
Michael
F.Perry
(May
2007).
Remembering
The
Oil
Drop Experiment, Physics Today: vol 60 # 5, p..
56.
[2]
Millikan, R. A. (1913) . On the
Elementary Electric charge and the Avogadro
Constant. Phys. Rev. (2): 109143.
[3]
Serway, Raymond A.; Jewett, ,,John W...
(2004).
Physics
for Scientists
and
Engineers (6th ed.)
[4]
Thornton, Stephen T.; Rex, Andrew
(2006). Modern Physics for Scientists
and
Engineers (3rd ed.)
[5]
http:// webphysics. Davidson. edu/
applets/pqp_preview/contents/pqp_errata/cd_errat
a_fixes/section4_5.html

According to that experienced it would be helped

with the own instruments of he/she practices it
since for such a purpose the formula of the exact
multiple of the electron it would be used being this
the equation 2 of the report of Millikan, since to
measure the radius of the alone drop it would be
enough to measure the radius of the drop with the
help of the own scale of opposing mensuration in
the finder and for ende to know the data of the
estates of the fluid and of the utilized voltage.
2. As it would demonstrate the cuantizacin of
the load, in function of the experimental
data and realized calculations.
Making a certain number of test-error experiments
to know if the data of previous experiments are
always the same ones in any part, taking into
account the external factors as temperature, in a
same way you can use the softwares that you/they
go of the hand with the simulations to credit that
what passes in the real life also happens in a
simulation.

References