Robert Andrews Millikan BY Ashley Stevens

Personal Information Robert was born on March 22, 1868, Morrison IL. He died on December 19, 1953, San Marino, CA. He had a great education and went to Columbia University, Oberlin College, and Maquoketa Community High School. Millikan had many scientific discoveries throughout his lifespan. One of his major discoveries was when he discovered the charge of an electron.

Personal Information Millikan was also a author for many science textbooks. Before Millikan became a scientist, he was a teacher. He taught elementary school physics. Millikan was also found to be very religious. When world war 1 was happening Millikan was called to help the marines build anti-submarines for them.

The Oil Drop Experiment Millikan had many great discoveries in the scientific world. He was primarily in the interest of optics, electricity, and molecular physics. In 1910 he used a falling drop method (also known as the oil drop) to show the correct demonstration of charge of a electron. Him and his partner Harvey Fletcher came up with an experiment to tell the charge of an electron so they could further understand the atomic structure. They made the oil drop experiment in 1910. The method to the experiment was that oil would be dropped in between two different plates, and because the two different plates created friction the charged electrons will start to rise if they are big enough.

The oil drop Experiment In 1923 he won the Nobel prize in Physics for the oil drop. Once Millikan and Fletcher shared the oil drop, the people were unsure. They weren't real positive they actually found anything.

Other Discoveries Then Millikan experimentally proved the photoelectric equation is correct. The famous Albert Einstein came up with it. Working off another scientist’s theories, in 1912-1915 he had the first idea of the photoelectric work of German physicist Max Planck’s. Planck’s constant has a symbol of “h” and dealt with mathematical formulations of Quantum mechanics, that describes waves and particles on the atomic scale, including the particle look on light. Next he studied Brownian movements in gases, which ended all of the other kinetic and atomic theories of matter thought of at the time.

Other Discoveries Five years after that, he began to explore X and ultraviolet radiation. He then created the ultra violent spectrum way below the known standards at the time. His next big studies began with his motion of an object falling into the atmosphere of Earth (which is now a law of science) and his interest in the field. That led up to Millikan sing ionized chambers to experiment with the cosmic radiation. He under took a major study of the radiation that the physicist Victor Hess had detected coming from outer space. Millikan proved that this radiation is indeed of extraterrestrial origin, and he named it “cosmic rays

Sources 1. "Robert A. Millikan - Biographical". Nobelprize.org. Nobel Media AB 2014. Web. 22 Jan 2015. http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/physics/laureates/1923/millikan- bio.html 2. Robert Andrews Millikan | Biography - American Physicist." Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Encyclopedia Britannica, n.d. Web. 22 Jan. 2015.http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/382902/Robert- Andrews-Millikan 3. Robert Andrews Millikan 1868-1953." Robert Andrews Millikan 1868-1953. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Jan. 2015.http://www.aip.org/history/gap/Millikan/Millikan.html