Determine Mass of Penny: Millikan Experiment

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SUMMARY

The forum discussion centers on a classroom experiment designed to determine the mass of a penny using a setup reminiscent of Millikan's Oil Drop experiment. Participants used a scale to measure the mass of stacked cups containing varying numbers of pennies. The key conclusion is that the smallest mass difference observed between measurements corresponds to the mass of a single penny, as the differences are integer multiples of the penny's weight. The discussion highlights the importance of understanding the relationship between mass measurements and the principles of charge quantization demonstrated in Millikan's experiment.

PREREQUISITES
  • Basic understanding of mass measurement techniques
  • Familiarity with the concept of integer multiples in physics
  • Knowledge of Millikan's Oil Drop experiment and its significance
  • Experience with experimental design and data analysis
NEXT STEPS
  • Research the methodology of Millikan's Oil Drop experiment
  • Learn about mass measurement techniques in physics experiments
  • Explore the concept of quantization in physics
  • Investigate how to calculate mass differences and their implications in experimental results
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Students in physics, educators conducting hands-on experiments, and anyone interested in experimental methods for measuring mass and understanding fundamental physics concepts.

braeden
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First post on this forum so hoping it is in the right place. In class today we did an experiment where our teach took two paper cups, and placed X amount of pennies in one before stacking the other cup inside of it. We had 10 of these cup/penny contraptions each and a scale. The purpose of this experiment was to determine how much a penny weighted. What I did was first massed them all. I then though that if I subtract the smallest mass from all the larger ones I know the difference MUST be from an increase in amount of pennies. From this though I am not quite sure where to go, should I assume the smallest increase between two different masses is the mass of a penny? My teacher compared it Millikan's Oil Drop experiment not really sure what he did to calculate the charge on an electron and how it can be applied though.
 
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You can safely assume that the smallest difference you can find is an integer multiple of the penny weight. What Millikan did is measure the force that appeared when an oil drop was ionised by losing or gaining some electrons ( pennys ). This might be of use http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oil_drop_experiment
 

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