Question

A negative oil droplet is held motionless in a millikan oil drop experiment. What happens if the switch is opened?

Answer 1

When the switch is opened in the Millikan oil drop experiment, the oil droplet will fall because the electric force that was balancing the gravitational force is no longer present.

Step-by-step explanation:

In the Millikan oil drop experiment, negatively charged oil droplets are suspended in equilibrium within an electric field between two plates. If the switch is opened, removing the electric field, the balance between the gravitational force and the electric force is disrupted. Without the upward electric force to counteract it, the gravitational force will cause the droplet to fall due to its own weight.

Answer 2

In Millikan oil drop experiment, when the switch is opened and by altering supply the charge of electron is determined.

Step-by-step explanation:

Millikan's oil drop experiment is held to determine the terminal velocity and charge of the oil drop.

Firstly without any supply of voltage when an oil drop is sprinkled and these droplets gather electrons together and gives negative charge as they pass through air.

By applying and altering voltage applied on the plates, drop can be suspended in air. Millikan observed one drop after another, varying the voltage and noting the effect. After many repetitions he concluded that charge could assume only certain fixed values.

After conducting many times he concluded 1.602176487 ×10−19 C as the charge of an electron.