Mohammed Usman

Bu21phys0500004

*Experiment- 01*
“E/m of an electron by Thomson method”

Aim:
To determine the specific charge of the electron (e/m) by Thomson
method.

Apparatus:
Electron tube, pair of Helmholtz coil, power supply, scale, ammeter,
Voltmeter, Eyepiece.

Formula:
𝑒 𝑉
= (7.576 x 10 ^6)
𝑚 𝐼2 𝑑²

Where: V is voltage,
I is current,
D is diameter.

Procedure:
1. Make sure all the control knobs are at the minimum position before
Power is switched on.
2. Turn on the power switch, the indicator lamp will glow
3. The cathode takes a few minutes to get heated up wait until this process
4. After adjusting the accelerator voltage knob in clockwise, an electron
Beam from cathode will be visible
5. By adjusting the e/m tube by rotating it we should make sure that the electron
beam is
Parallel to the plane of Helmholtz coils
6. Now rotate the current knob in clockwise direction to increase the Current to
the Helmholtz coils.
7. Once the electron beam becomes curved in a circular manner measure the
diameter of the electron beam.
8. Note the ammeter and voltage readings
9. Repeat the experiment for the different values of voltage
10. After taking all readings do the calculations
11. Turn of the electron beam supply once the work is done do not let the light on
for longer period

Diagram:

Tabular column:

Accelerating Current to the Diameter of the (Diameter)² V/I²d²

voltage (V) Helmholtz coil beam path
(amp) (m)
200 1 9.6 92.16 2.1*10^4
180 1 8.8 77.44 2.3*10^4
150 1 7.1 50.41 2.97*10^4
120 1 6.5 42.25 2.8*10^4
100 1 6.2 38.44 2.6*10^4
Mean=
2.54*10^4
Graph: (Diameter) ² vs accelerating voltage:

Calculations from graph:

Slope= (y2-y1)/(x2-x1)
92.66−38.44
Slope= =0.5372 x 10^-4
200−100
𝑒 1
= (7.576 x 10 ^6)
𝑚 (𝑠𝑙𝑜𝑝𝑒 𝑣𝑎𝑙𝑢𝑒 𝑓𝑟𝑜𝑚 𝑔𝑟𝑎𝑝ℎ)
𝑒 1
= (7.576 x 10 ^6)
𝑚 (0.5372 𝑋 10^−4)

𝑒
= 1.41 x 10^11 coul/Kg
𝑚
Precautions:
 Note down the readings precisely to avoid errors
 Measuring the diameter should be done carefully and precisely
Result:
 We obtained the value of e/m from the graph plot is 1.4*10^11
coulomb/kg
 Standard value of e/m is 1.77*10^11 Coulomb/kg