Robert Millikan: How He Changed the Atom Done by: Maxwell Murray, Calix Waldrop, Elijah Jennings, and Emily Maul

Experimental design Robert A. Millikan Robert A. Millikan used his experimental design to test the charge of the electrons that were in the oil droplets that he evaporated this method was called oil-drop. this device allows the oil drops to fall between two plates with an electric field under it to test the charge of the electrons.

The Change in the Previous model Millikan found that the rapid evaporation of the water droplets made measurement difficult and the results erratic. In 1909 he observed that the charge on any drop was an integral multiple of fundamental value. By balancing charged oil droplets between an electric field and gravity. He proved that the electron was fundamental particle with a fundamental charge.

How Did His Experiment Change the Atomic Model Millikan contributed to finding the charge of the electron He did this by using the famous “Oil Drop Experiment” in 1909 He created a more efficient process in comparison to the process made by H.A. Wilson who used water over oil. Water evaporated too quickly to get good results, (evaporated in seconds). Oil lasted for hours at a time. Due to the long lasting evaporation time of oil Millikan could get better results. Millikan did not directly contribute to the model of atom but did help future scientist change the atomic model.

Experimental Design of Millikan Information on the design on Slide 2

Sources http://study.com/cimages/multimages/16/millikans_oil-drop_apparatus_1.jpg http://socratic.org/questions/how-did-robert-millikan-s-oil-drop-experiment-change-the-model-of-the-atom https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oil_drop_experiment https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Andrews_Millikan