Exam-style question
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What is the principle behind Millikan's oil-drop experiment?.
Model answer
What a good answer should say
- Millikan's oil-drop experiment demonstrates that the charge of an electron can be determined by balancing the gravitational force on tiny charged oil droplets with an electric field.
- By adjusting the electric field strength, he could measure the charge on the droplets, which were found to be quantized.
Explanation
Why this works
This answer is strong because it clearly outlines the experimental setup and the relationship between gravitational and electric forces, which is central to understanding the quantization of charge. The question tests the student's ability to recall and explain a fundamental experiment in physics.
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