Dep. of PHYSICS, YONSEI Univ.

PHYSICS LAB(B) (PHY3107)

EXPERIMENTAL HANDBOOK
Hdbk#5-Rev#2-07/03/05

5. Millikan Oil Drop

Experiment

Preface
,
(B) (PHY3107) ,
Millikan Oil Drop Experiment ,
,

Contents

. ,
.
,

Preface
Objective
Introduction
Safety & Caution
Equipments
Equipment Setup
Experimental Procedure
Appendix

Robert Andrews Millikan (18681953)

Millikans historical experiment

Stokes law
Viscosity

etc.

4
6
8
10

(130, #2561~2)
.
1

5. Millikan Oil Drop Experiment

droplet

Objective

, droplet
charge .

Millikan oil drop experiment electron electric

Droplet viewing chamber ionization source(-particle)

charge .

droplet charge .
droplet charge
velocity , q
, single electron elementary charge

Introduction

1909 Robert Millikan electron electric charge

droplet

oil drop experiment .

gravitational force

metal electrode oil droplet

frictional force . Droplet

, electrical force gravitational force

terminal velocity ,

. droplet

force

-19

coulomb) , single

. ( , droplet

, (1.59210

millisecond terminal velocity

electron charge .

.)
Millikan electron

(1)

mg = kv f

charge . electric field E

particle force F , particle

vf : velocity of fall

electric charge q . , electric field

k : coefficient of friction between the air and the droplet

excess electron particle

m : mass of the droplet

force . (

g : acceleration of gravity

, 10 V/m field one excess electron particle

force 1.610-14N. mass 10-15kg

Droplet electric field

particle gravitational force .) ,

, droplet electric force,

Millikan oil drop electron charge

gravitational force, frictional force

force .

.
.

, gravitational field electric field

Eq = mg + kvr

10-15kg mass small charged droplet

(2)

. droplet fall velocity

, Stokes Law droplet mass .

E : electric field intensity

electric field drop rise velocity ,

q : charge of the droplet

droplet force droplet charge

vr : velocity of rise

. , , single electron charge

droplet total charge. , experimental skill

, droplet buoyant

, data single electron

force , density oil 1/1000

charge .

, force .

Electric field

(1) (2) k q

droplet excess electron . droplet

q=

velocity , charge
. droplet charge, charge

mg (v f + vr )

(3)

Ev f

. , V d parallel plates potential

, .

difference, electric field intensity E=V/d

, droplet charge ,

.
2

5. Millikan Oil Drop Experiment

mgd
q=
V

v
1 + r
v
f

b
4 gd b 9v f

+
q=

3 V 2p
2 g 2 p

(4)

1 + vr
v
f

d : separation of the plates

q charge, carried by the droplet (coulomb)

V : potential difference across the plates

density of oil (kg/m3)

(4) mass sphere volume density

g acceleration of gravity (m/s2)

d separation of the plates in the condenser, (m)

V potential difference across the plates (V)

4
m = a3
3

b contant, equal to 8.2010-3 (Pam)

(5)

p barometric pressure (Pa)

viscosity of air (Ns/m2)

a : radius of the droplet

vf velocity of fall (m/s)

: density of the oil

vr velocity of rise (m/s)

Droplet radius a Stokes law

(The accepted value for e is 1.6010-19 coulombs.)

(spherical body radius viscous medium

velocity ) .

9v f
2 g

a=

(6)

: coefficient of viscosity
: density of the oil
, Stocks law droplet 10-3 m/s
. droplet

velocity 10-4 ~ 10-5 m/s , correction factor

. Effective viscosity .

eff =
1 + b / pa

(7)

b : constant
p : atmosphere pressure
a : radius of droplet as calculated by the uncorrected form of
Stocks Law, equation (6)
(7) eff (6) , radius a
.

b 9v f
b
+
a =

2
p
2
g

2
p

(8)

(5), (8) (4)

.
3

(9)

5. Millikan Oil Drop Experiment

Safety & Caution

Equipments
Millikan Oil Drop apparatus platform & charging switch
High voltage power supply

Droplet viewing chamber electric shock

Digital multi-meter

high voltage power supply

12 VDC power adaptor for the halogen lamp

connection lead .

Atomizer
Non-volatile oil density=886 kg/m3

Droplet viewing chamber

Connection lead (4)

viewing scope

Stopwatch digital

Rod stand
Steel rods (45cm) (2)
Additional:
CCD camera
Television or monitor for CCD camera

5. Millikan Oil Drop Experiment

(1) Millikan Oil Drop apparatus

Halogen lamp

Droplet viewing chamber

12V, 5W halogen bulb, lamp droplet

Droplet viewing chamber

dichroic, infrared heat-absorbing window

. horizontal and vertical filament adjust knob

viewing chamber temperature

lamp .

Focusing wire

Viewing scope .

Ionization source lever

Lever ionization OFF position , ionization source

(thorium-232) plastic particle drop area

. Droplet velocity
.
ON position , plastic shielding

drop area thorium-232 ionizing particle

Plastic spacer thickness 7.6 mm, Thorium-232

. Droplet charge .

-source (0.008 mCurie) . Electrical connector

upper capacitor plate .

Spray droplet position chamber air hole

, droplet chamber air
. Droplet chamber .

Viewing scope

Viewing scope reticle, reticle focusing ring, droplet focusing

ring . reticle viewing scope
alignment (
130) .

5. Millikan Oil Drop Experiment

Plate charging switch

Equipment Setup

Step1. Apparatus setup

(1) Multi-meter, stopwatch
,
. oil drop apparatus .
(2) oil drop apparatus
.
(3) Stand steel rod oil drop apparatus
TOP PLATE : negative binding post is connected to the top plate.

TOP PLATE + : negative binding post is connected to bottom plate.

PLATES GROUNDED : plates are disconnected from the high

(4) Bubble level .

voltage supply and are electrically connected.

CAUTION:
(2) High Voltage Power Supply

Plate separation viewing scope & halogen lamp

alignment droplet viewing chamber

range DC power (0~-50V and 0~500V) .

, electric shock high voltage

range power . Digital meter

power supply .

range voltage current .

, adjust knob

2~7V 3A AC power .

(3) Atomizer & Oil

Squibb mineral oil : Density = 886 kg/m3

5. Millikan Oil Drop Experiment

Droplet hole cover lid filament

Step 2. Plate separation

.
(1) droplet viewing chamber .
NOTE:

Housing .
Upper capacitor spacer plate .

electrical connector top capacitor plate

spacer , plate spacer

(2) Mircometer plastic spacer thickness . (

oil .

thickness plate separation distance.)

.

CAUTION:

Step 3. Viewing Scope & Halogen Lamp

scratch ,

(1) Apparatus platform storage place focusing wire

, top capacitor plate hole

.

(2) 12V DC transformer halogen lamp housing power jack

220V .
(3) Viewing Scope Reticle focusing ring reticle(
) .
(4) Viewing scope focusing wire ,

droplet focusing ring wire

.
(5) Horizontal filament adjustment knob filament
. Wire
.
(3) droplet viewing chamber

(6) Vertical filament adjust knob filament

. viewing scope focusing

wire reticle .
Plastic spacer lower capacitor thorium source

electrical connection .

(7) Focusing wire platform .

Top capacitor plate plastic spacer .

Base hosing pin housing .

(8) Droplet viewing chamber

.

5. Millikan Oil Drop Experiment

Droplet hole cover top capacitor plate .

Experimental Procedure

Lid housing .

Step 1. Droplets

NOTE:

(1) Non-volatile oil (density=886kg/m3) atomizer .

Droplet hole cover

Atomizer tip .

droplet chamber .

(2) Ionization source lever spray droplet position .

(Droplet chamber chamber

.)
Step 4. Voltage
(3) Atomizer nozzle droplet viewing chamber lid
(1) Connection lead high voltage power supply oil

drop apparatus plate voltage connector 500V

.

(4) Viewing scope atomizer

. , droplet droplet hole cover

(2) Digital multimeter capacitor plate

top capacitor droplet entry hole capacitor

voltage .

plate atomizer .

NOTE:

Voltage

NOTE:

plate

voltage

connector

droplet

multimeter . capacitor plate

. (Electric shock plate

viewing scope droplet

10M resistance .)

. atomizer

atomizer

(1) Droplet oil .

droplet .

Step 5. Droplet Viewing Chamber

(2) Atomizer drop viewing area

(1) Thermistor connector multimeter thermistor

. , oil

resistance . Platform Thermistor

Resistance Table lower brass plate

. Droplet Viewing Chamber .

droplet droplet
, droplet

NOTE:

3~4 .

Halogen bulb dichroic window

, oil top plate droplet hole

, droplet viewing

cover . , DC power

chamber . ,

, droplet viewing chamber oil

droplet viewing chamber 15

(5) Viewing scope droplet

, ionization source lever OFF .

5. Millikan Oil Drop Experiment

Step 2. Droplet

NOTE:

(1) droplet , plate charging switch

reticle line

Plates Grounded Position (0.02-

reticle line

0.05mm/s), plate voltage

. (Reticle line

droplet .

0.5mm)

NOTE:

fall velocity vf plate

, major reticle line (0.5mm)

(Introduction .)

gravitational force velocity .

15 droplet, electric field(1000V/cm)
droplet

charge .

(2) Droplet charge . droplet

1 excess electron 15s

charge 5 excess electron ,

2 excess electrons 7s

droplet .

3 excess electrons 3s

(3) , atomizer oil

chamber droplet .
NOTE:

(4) droplet 10~20 ( charge

droplet ) rise

droplet , capacitor plate

velocity fall velocity .

power .

(5) Droplet,

size charge droplet ,

ionization lever ON droplet

ionization lever 5 ON .

( particle charge .)

(6) droplet rise velocity , velocity

10~20 .
(2) size charge droplet
, droplet viewing scope . (Droplet

(7) (6) droplet ,

.)

-particle droplet charge

, velocity 10~20 .
(8) (7) .

Step 3. Collecting Data on the Rise and Fall of the Droplet

(1) droplet , 10~20 rise velocity

NOTE:

(plates charged) fall velocity (plates not charged) .

Plate voltage switch droplet

droplet charge

(9) Plate potential, oil density, droplet viewing chamber

viscosity, barometric pressure
.

5. Millikan Oil Drop Experiment

Step 4. Electron Charge

(2) Millikan Oil Drop Apparatus Thermistor Resistance at

Various Temperatures

droplet charge
, electron charge .

b
4 gd b 9v f

3 V 2p
2 g 2 p

q=

1 + vr
v
f

Appendix

(1) Viscosity of air as a function of temperature

106

106

106

10

3.239

11

3.118

20

2.300

30

1.774

21

2.233

31

1.736

12

3.004

22

2.169

32

1.700

13

2.897

23

2.110

33

1.666

14

2.795

24

2.053

34

1.634

15

2.700

25

2.000

35

1.603

16

2.610

26

1.950

36

1.574

17

2.526

27

1.902

37

1.547

18

2.446

28

1.857

38

1.521

19

2.371

29

1.815

39

1.496

Sutherlands formula :

T +C T

= 0 0
T + C T0

: viscosity (Pas) at input temperature T

0 : reference viscosity (Pas) at reference temperature T0
(air = 18.2710-6 Pas)
T= input temperature (K) (0=273.15K)

IMPORTANT:

T0 = reference temperature (K)

(air = 291.15 K)

C = Sutherlands constant
(air = 120)

10