subatomiconsciousness: The oil drop experiment was an experiment performed by Robert Millikan and Harvey Fletcher in 1909 to measure the elementary electric charge (the charge of the electron). 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. Since the density of the oil was known, the droplets’ masses, and therefore their gravitational and buoyant forces, could be determined from their observed radii. Using a known electric field, Millikan and Fletcher could determine even the charge on oil droplets in mechanical equilibrium. By repeating the experiment for many droplets, they confirmed that the charges were all multiples of some fundamental value, and calculated it to be 1.5924(17)×10−19 C, within 1% of the currently accepted value of 1.602176487(40)×10−19 C. They proposed that this was the charge of a single electron. here & picture (Oil droplets from an atomizer enter the apparatus through a tiny hole. Some droplets acquire a frictional electric charge as they escape from the atomizer. A source of ionizing radiation, such as X rays, also produces ions. The absorption of these ions sporadically changes the electric charges on the droplets. The droplets are observed through a telescope with a measuring scale in the eyepiece. )

subatomiconsciousness:

The oil drop experiment was an experiment performed by Robert Millikan and Harvey Fletcher in 1909 to measure the elementary electric charge (the charge of the electron).

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. Since the density of the oil was known, the droplets’ masses, and therefore their gravitational and buoyant forces, could be determined from their observed radii. Using a known electric field, Millikan and Fletcher could determine even the charge on oil droplets in mechanical equilibrium. By repeating the experiment for many droplets, they confirmed that the charges were all multiples of some fundamental value, and calculated it to be 1.5924(17)×10−19 C, within 1% of the currently accepted value of 1.602176487(40)×10−19 C. They proposed that this was the charge of a single electron.

here & picture

(Oil droplets from an atomizer enter the apparatus through a tiny hole. Some droplets acquire a frictional electric charge as they escape from the atomizer. A source of ionizing radiation, such as X rays, also produces ions. The absorption of these ions sporadically changes the electric charges on the droplets. The droplets are observed through a telescope with a measuring scale in the eyepiece. )

(via greatmindsofscience)

7 months ago  117 notes
  1. cielito-lindo reblogged this from subatomiconsciousness
  2. tuffschist reblogged this from subatomiconsciousness and added:
    Posting because I always forget
  3. void-liminality reblogged this from neuronsandneutrons
  4. simplydaltz93 reblogged this from freshphotons
  5. supercuddlypuppies reblogged this from freshphotons
  6. thescienceblog reblogged this from freshphotons
  7. vir-qui-amas-homines reblogged this from understandingtheuniverse
  8. callunacarbon reblogged this from understandingtheuniverse
  9. communist-flisk reblogged this from understandingtheuniverse
  10. understandingtheuniverse reblogged this from phycafe
  11. existential-singularity reblogged this from subatomiconsciousness
  12. onlyalittlelost reblogged this from neuronsandneutrons
  13. mrgaskell reblogged this from freshphotons
  14. divineirony reblogged this from freshphotons
  15. phycafe reblogged this from freshphotons
  16. imindianandiknowit reblogged this from neuronsandneutrons
  17. neuronsandneutrons reblogged this from subatomiconsciousness
  18. abcstarstuff reblogged this from freshphotons
  19. crucifictionin-space reblogged this from subatomiconsciousness
  20. secularhumanistsuperheroes reblogged this from subatomiconsciousness
  21. This was featured in #Science
  22. ohdeargodwhy reblogged this from freshphotons
  23. thepoetryofthesingularity reblogged this from freshphotons
  24. neamy reblogged this from freshphotons
  25. randomscientist reblogged this from freshphotons