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A Millikan Oil Drop Analogy

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Doris A. Eckey

Penn State University at Erie, The Behrend College, Division of Science, Station Road, Erie, PA 16563

J. Chem. Educ., 1996, 73 (3), p 237

DOI: 10.1021/ed073p237

Publication Date (Web): March 1, 1996

Section:

History, Education, and Documentation

Abstract

The Millikan Oil Drop Experiment is frequently encountered in historical surveys of atomic theory presented during general chemistry courses, but is often not well understood by freshmen. As an aid to understanding, an analogy is drawn between the manner in which the charge on a single electron is deduced from the total charge on an oil drop, and a rather peculiar pricing system in a surreal candy store.

Keywords (Audience):

First-Year Undergraduate / General

Keywords (Domain):

History / Philosophy

Keywords (Feature):

Applications and Analogies

Keywords (Pedagogy):

Analogies / Transfer

Keywords (Subject):

Atomic Properties / Structure

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This article has been cited by 1 ACS Journal articles (1 most recent appear below).

Magnet and BB Analogy for Millikan's Oil-Drop Experiment
Earl F. Pearson , M. Dale Alexander
Journal of Chemical Education2006 83 (9), 1313
- Magnet and BB Analogy for Millikan's Oil-Drop Experiment
  Earl F. Pearson , M. Dale Alexander
  Journal of Chemical Education2006 83 (9), 1313
  This work describes the use of refrigerator magnets and BB's as an analogy to Millikan's oil-drop experiment. The mass of a single BB is determined without ever measuring the mass of one BB or determining the mass of a known number of BB's. This is ...
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