Exam-style question
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In Millikan's oil-drop experiment, how is the charge of an electron determined?.
- A.By measuring the mass of the oil drop
- B.By balancing the gravitational and electric forces on the drop
- C.By observing the speed of the falling drop
- D.By calculating the volume of the oil drop
Model answer
What a good answer should say
- By balancing the gravitational and electric forces on the drop
Explanation
Why this works
The charge of an electron is determined in Millikan's experiment by balancing the gravitational force acting on the oil drop with the electric force exerted by an electric field. This balance allows for the calculation of the charge on the drop, which corresponds to the charge of the electron.
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