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In the early 1900s, Robert Millikan used small charged droplets of oil, suspended in an electric field, to make the first quantitative measurements of the electron’s charge. A 0.71-um-diameter droplet of oil, having a charge of , is suspended in midair between two horizontal plates of a parallel-plate capacitor. The upward electric force on the droplet is exactly balanced by the downward force of gravity. The oil has a density of 860 kg/m^3 , and the capacitor plates are 4.5 mm apart.

Part A
What must the potential difference between the plates be to hold the droplet in equilibrium?
Express your answer to two significant figures and include the appropriate units

ΔV=

Answer :

Answer:

The potential difference is   [tex]\Delta V  =  44.40 \  V [/tex]

Explanation:

From the question we are told that

   The diameter of the droplet of oil is [tex]d =  0.71 \mu m  =  0.71 *10^{-6} \ m[/tex]

    The density of the oil is  [tex]\rho =  860 kg/m^3[/tex]

    The distance of separation of the capacitor plate is  [tex]l  = 4.5 \ mm =  0.0045 \  m[/tex]

Generally the radius of the droplet is mathematically represented as

       [tex]r = \frac{d}{2}[/tex]

=>      [tex]r = \frac{0.71 *10^{-6} }{2}[/tex]

=>      [tex]r = 3.55 *0^{-7} \  m[/tex]

Generally the mass of  the oil droplet is mathematically represented as

       [tex]m  =  \rho  *  V[/tex]

Here  V  is the volume of the oil droplet which is mathematically represented as

      [tex]V  =  \frac{4}{3} * 3.142 * (3.55 *0^{-7} )^3[/tex]

       [tex]V  =  1.874 *10^{-19} \  m^3[/tex]

So

       [tex]m  =  860  *  1.874 *10^{-19} [/tex]

=>    [tex]m  =  1.611 *10^{-16} \  kg [/tex]

Generally the electric force acting on the droplet is mathematically represented as  

       [tex]F  =  E  *  q[/tex]

Here q is the charge on an electron with value  [tex]q =  1.60*10^{-19}\ C[/tex]

This force is equivalent to the weight of the droplet which is mathematically represented as

        [tex]W =  mg[/tex]

So

       [tex]E *  q =  m *  g[/tex]

Here E is the electric field which is mathematically represented as

    [tex]E =  \frac{\Delta V}{l}[/tex]

      [tex]\frac{\Delta V}{l}  *  q =  m *  g[/tex]

=>    [tex]\Delta V  =  \frac{m *  g  *  l }{q}[/tex]

=>    [tex]\Delta V  =  \frac{1.611 *10^{-16}  *  9.8   *  0.0045 }{1.60*10^{-19}}[/tex]

=>    [tex]\Delta V  =  44.40 \  V [/tex]

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