Suppose a scientist repeats the Millikan oil-drop experiment but reports the charges on the drops using an unusual (and imaginary) unit called the warmomb (wa). The scientist obtains the following data for four of the drops: Droplet Calculated Charge (wa) A 3.84⨉10⁻⁸ B 4.80⨉10⁻⁸ C 2.88⨉10⁻⁸ D 8.64⨉10⁻⁸ (d) What is the conversion factor between warmombs and coulombs?

Key Concepts

Millikan Oil-Drop Experiment

The Millikan oil-drop experiment was a groundbreaking experiment conducted by Robert Millikan in 1909 to measure the charge of the electron. By balancing the gravitational and electric forces on tiny oil droplets, Millikan was able to determine that the charge of an electron is approximately -1.6 x 10^-19 coulombs. This experiment provided crucial evidence for the quantization of electric charge and established the fundamental unit of charge in physics.

Unit Conversion

Unit conversion is the process of converting a quantity expressed in one unit to another unit. In this context, it involves finding the relationship between the imaginary unit 'warmomb' and the standard unit 'coulomb.' Understanding how to convert between units is essential in scientific calculations, as it allows for consistent and accurate comparisons of measurements across different systems.

Quantization of Charge

The quantization of charge refers to the principle that electric charge exists in discrete amounts, specifically as integer multiples of the elementary charge (the charge of an electron). This concept implies that charges cannot take on arbitrary values but are instead quantized in units of e (approximately 1.6 x 10^-19 coulombs). In the context of the experiment, the charges measured in warmombs should also reflect this quantization, allowing for the determination of a conversion factor to coulombs.