Oh I have to square root k x r^2 !Orodruin said:No. As many other constants, k is dimensionful and k = 9 x 10^9 N m^2/C^2 - units are important and the units of your final answer must also make sense.
The oil drop electric field problem is a physics experiment that involves observing the behavior of oil droplets suspended in an electric field. It was first conducted by Robert Millikan in 1909 to determine the charge of an electron.
In this experiment, a charged oil droplet is placed between two charged plates. The electric field between the plates causes the droplet to move either upwards or downwards depending on the direction of the electric field. By measuring the droplet's movement and the strength of the electric field, the charge of the droplet can be calculated using the equation q=mgd/E, where q is the charge, m is the mass of the droplet, g is the acceleration due to gravity, d is the distance traveled, and E is the strength of the electric field.
The oil drop electric field problem is significant because it allowed for the determination of the charge of an electron, which was a crucial step in understanding the structure of atoms and the development of modern physics. It also helped to verify the theory of quantization of electric charge proposed by Max Planck and Albert Einstein.
One challenge with this experiment is the difficulty in obtaining accurate measurements due to the small size of the oil droplets and the effects of air resistance. Another challenge is ensuring that the oil droplets have a consistent charge, as any variation in charge can significantly affect the results.
The oil drop electric field problem is still relevant today as it is used in various fields such as nanotechnology, medical research, and atmospheric science to study the behavior of charged particles in electric fields. It also serves as a fundamental demonstration of the principles of electrostatics and is often included in physics curricula at the high school and college level.