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Millikan Oil Drop Experiment definitions Flashcards

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Millikan Oil Drop Experiment definitions
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  • Millikan Oil Drop Experiment
    A 1913 experiment by Millikan and Fletcher to measure the electron's charge using oil droplets, charged plates, and X-rays.
  • Electron
    A subatomic particle with a negative charge, fundamental to atomic structure.
  • Atomizer
    A device used to disperse oil droplets in the Millikan oil drop experiment.
  • Charged Plates
    Plates used to create an electric field to suspend charged oil droplets in the experiment.
  • Gravity
    The force that pulls the oil droplets downward, counteracted by the electric field in the experiment.
  • X-rays
    Radiation used to impart a negative charge to the oil droplets in the experiment.
  • Electric Force
    The force between charged particles, crucial for suspending oil droplets in the experiment.
  • Microscope
    An instrument used to observe the charged oil droplets during the experiment.
  • Voltmeter
    A device used to measure the voltage applied to the charged plates in the experiment.
  • Electric Field
    A field created by charged plates, used to balance gravitational force on oil droplets.
  • Suspension
    The state of an oil droplet when balanced between gravitational and electric forces.
  • Coulombs
    The unit of electric charge, used to express the charge of an electron.
  • Positive Plate
    The plate with a positive charge used to create an electric field in the experiment.
  • Negative Plate
    The plate with a negative charge used to create an electric field in the experiment.
  • Charge
    A property of particles that causes them to experience a force in an electric field.