Abstract
IT is generally accepted that the discrepancy between Millikan's1 early value of the electronic charge, e (4·770 X 1010.E.S.U.), and the value derived by the X-ray method (4·8021 X 10-10 E.S.U.2) can be accounted for by the uncertainty in the value of the viscosity of air at 23° C. (v}23). There exist, how-ever, wide variations in the results obtained by different workers using the oil-drop method, even when the ratios, e2/3/n2 3, which are independent of the absolute value of the viscosity, are compared. For exam-ple, the following values of e2/3/n23 have been derived from the results published by the authors : Millikan1 334·96 X 10-5 ; Backlin and Flem-berg3 334·12 X 10-5 ; Ishida, Fukushima and Suetsugu4 336·65 X 10-5 ; Hopper and Laby5 335·09 x 10-5 (eE.S.U., η23 O.G.S.). In view of the large variation in these values, in spite of the internal consistencies of the sepa-rate experiments, it seemed desirable to make a systematic study of the oil-drop method itself, to find, if possible, the reasons for these dif-ferences and also an unexceptionable value of e2/3/η23.
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References
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HOPPER, V. The Oil-Drop Method for the Determination of the Electronic Charge. Nature 163, 733–735 (1949). https://doi.org/10.1038/163733a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/163733a0