In: Physics
In the early 1900s, Robert Millikan used small charged droplets of oil, suspended in an electric field, to make the first quantitative measurements of the electron
d = 0.67 x10^-6 m
r = 0.335 x 10^-6 m
e = 1.602 x10^-19 C
? = 860 kg/m^3
m = ? x vol. = 860 x 4pi r^3 / 3 = 0.135 x10^-15
kg
g = 9.8 m/s^2
For the drop to be stationary in mid air, the mass of the drop is
balanced by the upward electric force .
mg = eE,
where E is the electric field between the the
plates.
E = mg / e = 8258 N/C
The voltage between the plates = V = X E
,
where X is the distance between the
plates.
V = 8258 x 4 x10^-3 = 33 Volts