Re: Millikan Apparatus- best one ?

[Brad Shue <jshue@comp.uark.edu>]

On Wed, 9 Oct 1996, Leigh Palmer wrote:
> Has anyone in this group ever had a student who succeeded in
> demonstrating the quantization of charge doing this experiment?
> How many one-pass datasets were taken? how many different drops
> were measured?
> Leigh

Leigh, 
	we do the Millikan every spring semester.  When I do it, I get
very good results.  I also did it as an undergrad and got very good
results.  Using the latex spheres helps a lot.  Technique is EVERYTHING
when doing this lab!  The procedure that comes with the apparatus works
great but I have found that the students RUSH and you can't do it with
this lab.  You must be patient!
	I can't give you any info on the actual data that the students
take because our current manual stinks and the experimental procedure
sucks.  If done correctly, I have seen it to within 5% of the actual
value.  Which ain't too bad.  I'm writing a new manual right now.
	We use the Sgt. Welch apparatus here.  The students seem to have
problems with it because they think they have to PUMP on the atomizer like
mad... In reality, a few pumps followed by gentle "tweaks" work best.
--
James Bradford Shue                             jshue@comp.uark.edu
University of Arkansas                          Voice phone:(501) 575-6059
Physics Lab/Demo Curator                        FAX Number: (501) 575-4580
WWW Page					http://comp.uark.edu/~jshue