Skip to main content
Back

Millikan Oil Drop Experiment quiz

Control buttons has been changed to "navigation" mode.
1/15
  • Who conducted the Millikan oil drop experiment and in what year?
    Robert Millikan and Harvey Fletcher conducted the experiment in 1913.
  • What fundamental property of the electron did the Millikan oil drop experiment determine?
    It determined the fundamental charge of the electron.
  • What device was used to disperse oil droplets in the Millikan oil drop experiment?
    An atomizer was used to disperse the oil droplets.
  • How were the oil droplets given a negative charge in the experiment?
    The oil droplets were exposed to X-rays, which gave them a negative charge.
  • What role did the charged plates play in the Millikan oil drop experiment?
    The charged plates created an electric field to balance the gravitational force on the oil droplets.
  • What happens to the oil droplet if the electric force is greater than gravity?
    The oil droplet will rise if the electric force is greater than gravity.
  • What is observed when the voltage is adjusted so the oil droplet is suspended in air?
    The oil droplet remains stationary, allowing calculation of the electron's charge.
  • What is the value of the electron's charge determined by the Millikan oil drop experiment?
    The electron's charge was found to be -1.60 × 10⁻¹⁹ coulombs.
  • What does the voltmeter measure in the Millikan oil drop experiment?
    The voltmeter measures the voltage applied across the charged plates.
  • How did the Millikan oil drop experiment build upon J.J. Thomson's work?
    It provided a quantitative measure of the electron's negative charge, which Thomson could not determine.
  • What is the significance of suspending the oil droplet between the plates?
    Suspending the droplet allows the forces to balance, enabling calculation of the electron's charge.
  • What is the electric force in the context of the Millikan oil drop experiment?
    It is the attractive or repulsive force between charged particles due to the electric field.
  • What happens if the voltage is less than the force of gravity on the oil droplet?
    The oil droplet will fall if the voltage is less than the force of gravity.
  • What does the microscope do in the Millikan oil drop experiment?
    The microscope is used to observe the motion and position of the charged oil droplet.
  • Why was the Millikan oil drop experiment important for atomic physics?
    It provided the first precise measurement of the electron's charge, advancing the understanding of atomic structure.