In Millikan's experiment, the charge on each drop of oil was measured in coulombs. Imagine the same experiment, but with charges measured in a fictitious unit called a zeet ().
Drop Charge ()
A 1.38×10−14
B 3.22×10−14
C 3.68×10−14
D 4.14×10−14
E 5.98×10−14
What is the charge on an electron in zeets?
2.9×10−15 Z
To determine the charge on an electron in zeets, we need to compare the measured values of charge on oil drops in coulombs to the known charge on an electron in coulombs.
Millikan's experiment determined the charge on an electron to be approximately -1.60219 × 10^-19 coulombs. This value is negative because electrons have a negative charge.
To convert this value to zeets, we need to find the conversion factor between coulombs and zeets. Since the fictitious unit zeet is not defined, we cannot directly calculate this conversion factor.
Therefore, without the conversion factor, it is not possible to determine the charge on an electron in zeets.
To find the charge on an electron in zeets, we can utilize the information given in Millikan's experiment. In Millikan's experiment, the charge on each droplet of oil was measured in coulombs. We know that the fundamental charge of an electron is -1.6 × 10^-19 coulombs.
First, we need to convert the charge on each droplet of oil from coulombs to zeets using the conversion factor. Let's assume the conversion factor is 1 zeet = 1 coulomb.
Using the given data:
A - 1.38 × 10^-14 coulombs
B - 3.22 × 10^-14 coulombs
C - 3.68 × 10^-14 coulombs
D - 4.14 × 10^-14 coulombs
E - 5.98 × 10^-14 coulombs
Now, we can use the fundamental charge of an electron in coulombs to find the charge on an electron in zeets.
Divide the charge on each droplet of oil in zeets by the charge on a single electron in zeets.
For example, the charge on droplet A in zeets is:
A_charge_in_zeets = A_charge_in_coulombs / (fundamental_charge_in_coulombs)
A_charge_in_zeets = 1.38 × 10^-14 coulombs / (-1.6 × 10^-19 coulombs)
Repeat the above calculation for each droplet of oil to find their charges in zeets.
By calculating the charges on each droplet of oil in zeets and comparing them to the given options, we can determine which droplet has a charge closest to the charge on an electron in zeets.