This irrefutable pattern confirmed that electric charge is quantized, existing in discrete packets rather than a continuous spectrum. Determined the elementary charge, *e*, with remarkable precision.
Evidence for Charge Quantization from Millikan's Oil Drop Experiment
Applied voltage to suspend the droplet, balancing gravitational and electric forces. These droplets fell through a small hole under gravity, and their terminal velocity was measured using a microscope.
When the electric field was activated, the droplet's altered velocity revealed the balance between gravity and the electric force. Measured terminal velocity of a droplet under gravity.
Evidence for Charge Quantization from Millikan's Oil Drop Experiment
Millikan's oil drop experiment stands as one of the most elegant and consequential investigations in the history of physics. The key was to balance the downward gravitational force with the upward electric force, allowing for the calculation of the charge on a single droplet.
More About Millikan's oil drop experiment
Looking at Millikan's oil drop experiment from another angle can help expand the discussion and give readers a second clear paragraph under the same section.
More perspective on Millikan's oil drop experiment can make the topic easier to follow by connecting earlier points with a few simple takeaways.
