LAB:

DATE:

NAME:

TOPIC:

TITLE: Millikan’s oil drop experiment

AIM:
 To experimentally demonstrate the concept of Millikan’s oil drop experiment.
 To find the terminal velocity of the drop.
 To find the charge on a drop.

APPARATUS:
 Simulator

PROCEDURES:
1. The “START” button was clicked on.
2. The Combo box was clicked on to choose the oil.
3. The “START” button of stop watch was double clicked and the time taken t 1 by a drop, to
travel distance l1 between any two points was noticed.
4. The “Voltage On” button was clicked to suspend the same oil drop in air, which is the
balancing voltage V.
5. The “X Ray ON” button was clicked on and the time taken t 2 by same drop to travel
distance l2 between any two points was noticed.
6. Charge of drop was calculated using the equation,
7. The experiment was repeated for another oil.  
RESULTS:

Oil Distance Time Distance Time Terminal velocity Balancing Charge of the
v1 v2
Type travelled taken travelled taken potential drop q
(m/s) (m/s)
l1 (cm) t1 (s) l2 (cm) t2 (s) V
Olive 0.25 9.525 0.25 0.576 0.00026 0.0043 300 2.01 x10-17 C
Glyceri 0.25 6.652 0.25 0.510 0.00038 0.0049 400 1.77 x10-17 C
n

CALCULATIONS:

Olive Oil:
l1
v1=
t1

0.25 x 10−2 m
=
9.525 s

v1= 2.62x10-4 m/s

l2
v2=
t2

0.25 x 10−2 m
=
0.576 s

v2= 4.34x10-3 m/s

9 n v1
r2 =
2 g( p− pair )

9(1.81 x 10−5 )(2.62 x 10− 4)

r2= 2.37 x 10-12

r= 1.54 x 10-6 m
 d
q= 6πηr (v1+v2)
V

= 6π (1.81x10-5) (1.54 x 10-6) (2.62x10-4 m/s +4.34x10-3 m/s) (0.25x10-2)/300

q= 2.01 x10-17 C

Glycerin:

l1
v1=
t1

0.25 x 10−2 m
=
6.652 s

v1= 3.75x10-4m/s

l2
v2=
t2

0.25 x 10−2 m
=
0.510 s

v2= 4.90x10-3 m/s

9 n v1
r2 =
2 g( p− pair )

2 9(1.81 x 10−5 )(3.75 x 10−4 )

r2= 2.47 x 10-12

r= 1.57 x 10-6 m

d
q= 6πηr (v1+v2)
V

= 6π (1.81x10-5) (1.57 x 10-6) (3.75x10-4m/s+4.90 x10-3 m/s) (0.25 x 10-2)/400

q= 1.77 x10-17 C
QUESTIONS:
1. An oil drop of 12 excess electrons is held stationary under a constant electric field of 2.55
x 104V/m in Millikan’s oil drop experiment. The density of the oil drop is 1.26 cgs units.
Estimate the radius of the oil drop.
ANS: η= 12; p= 1.26x103 kg/m3; E = 2.55x104 V/m
At equilibrium, qE= mg (m=Vp)
ηE= 4/3 πr3 x p x g
r3 = (ηE)3/ 4πpg
3ηE
r=
√3

4 πpg

3 (12)(1.6 x 10−19)(2.55 x 10 4 )
r=
√
3

4 π (1.26 x 103 )(9.81)

 
2. Use the simulation and find out the charge on any five drops. By comparing the charges on the
drops, find out the charge on an electron?
ANS: (2.01x10-17) + (1.47x10-18) + (3.39x10-17) + (1.11x10-18) + (7.56x10-18) / 5
= 1.28x10-17 C
 
3. Why bubbles are rising up through water or any other liquid?
 ANS: Bubbles are made up of gas which is carbon dioxide. CO 2 is 800 times less dense that
water and theoretically, anything less dense than water floats. As a result, the bubbles float to the
top of water.
4. Why tiny drops becomes clouds where as bigger drops fall as rain?
 ANS: Water vapor and tiny particles in the air is what forms clouds in the sky. Condensation
occurs when the tiny particles and H2O gas comes together. The resulting droplets have small
mass and therefore are not pulled down by gravity. Rains drops are formed by these tiny droplets
colliding with each other. The more they collide the bigger they get and the mass increases.
Eventually, the get enough mass that gravity pulls them downward as rain. The tiny particles that
did not collide stays in the formation of clouds.

5.Calculate the terminal velocity of an olive oil drop and then its radius.
l1
v1=
t1

0.25 x 10−2 m
=
6.652 s

v1= 3.75x10-4m/s

9 n v1
r2 =
2 g( p− pair )

9(1.81 x 10−5 )(2.62 x 10− 4)

r2= 2.37 x 10-12

r= 1.54 x 10-6 m
DISCUSSION: The Millikan’s Oil experiment is used for various reasons. One is to find the
speed of an oil drop and another to determine the charge on them. For this experiment, we
calculated the speed and charge on a droplet from both Olive Oil and Glycerin. For Olive oil, we
found the radius to be 1.54 x 10-6 m. The balancing voltage was 300 V. With this information we
then calculated the charge on the droplet to be 2.01 x10-17 C. For Glycerin, the radius was
calculated to be 1.57 x 10-6 m. The balancing voltage was slightly different compared to the
droplet of the Olive oil as it was greater by 100 V. The charge was then calculated to be 1.77

9 n v1
x10-17 C. The formula used to determine the radius was: r2= ; where n is the is the
2 g( p− pair )
viscosity of ai, p is density and g is acceleration due to gravity. The formula used to determine

d
the charge was q= 6πηr (v1+v2) ; where V is the balancing voltage determined from the
V
experiment.

PRECAUTIONS:
 Use correct significant figures for calculations
 Take balance voltage after drop comes to a complete stop
CONCLUSION: The average terminal velocities for olive oil drop was calculated to be 0.00026
m/s and 0.0043 m/s while the average terminal velocities for glycerin oil drop was calculated to
be 0.00038 m/s and 0.0049 m/s. The charge on the Olive Oil droplet and Glycerin droplet was
calculated to be 2.01 x10-17 C and 1.77 x10-17 C, respectfully.