Millikan Oil drop Experiment

P1

P2

The charge of an oil drop can be determined by using Millikan’s oil drop experiment
which is based on the measurement of terminal velocity of oil drop during free fall
under gravity and terminal velocity of oil drop under electric field and gravity.
Construction:
In fig P1 and P2 are two electric plate to establish electric field of strength E. Atomizer
helps to drop fine drop of oil between parallel plates. Microscope helps to study the
motion of oil drop. Throughout the experiment the temp is maintained constant and in
helps to maintain the required potential.
Working Principle:
When oil drop moves between the plates it get charged, let oil drop moves under
gravity having free fall then it remains under the action of two different forces ; force
due to gravity (which acts vertically downward) and up thrust provided by air particle
(which acts in upward direction)
V
If the oil drop moves with constant velocity F E =qE=q
d
(Vg) also called terminal velocity then the net
downward force is, Fv = 6 πη r v
 Now, according to Stoke’s
law as the oil drop moves downward, viscous force (backward direction) is developed
which is given by

Then, in
equilibrium,

This gives the radius of oil drop.

Now if electric field is applied, usually the negatively charged oil drop moves towards
the positive plate. If the oil drop moves with a constant velocity v e .Then the force due
to electric field is equal to net downward force.
Mathematically, it can be expressed as:
At equilibrium condition equation 1 and 2 are equal

Now putting the value of r in equation (iv) we get

This expression gives the charge of an oil drop. In Millikan’s oil drop experiment the
value of q can be determined if the values of symbols are known.