In 1909, a scientist named Robert Millikan did an important experiment called the Oil Drop Experiment. This experiment helped us figure out how much electrical charge an electron has.
Here’s how it worked:
Charged Oil Droplets: Millikan sprayed tiny oil droplets into a special chamber. These droplets gained electrical charge by picking up electrons.
Balancing Forces: When he turned on a voltage, the droplets would either float up or drop down.
Calculating Charge: By looking at how the weight of the droplets compared to the electric force from the voltage, Millikan could figure out the charge on each droplet.
After trying this many times, he found out that the charge of an electron is about -1.6 x 10^-19 coulombs. This number is really important in the world of physics!
In 1909, a scientist named Robert Millikan did an important experiment called the Oil Drop Experiment. This experiment helped us figure out how much electrical charge an electron has.
Here’s how it worked:
Charged Oil Droplets: Millikan sprayed tiny oil droplets into a special chamber. These droplets gained electrical charge by picking up electrons.
Balancing Forces: When he turned on a voltage, the droplets would either float up or drop down.
Calculating Charge: By looking at how the weight of the droplets compared to the electric force from the voltage, Millikan could figure out the charge on each droplet.
After trying this many times, he found out that the charge of an electron is about -1.6 x 10^-19 coulombs. This number is really important in the world of physics!