Practice portal › Electric Charge and Properties › Motion of a Charge in an Electric Field

A liquid drop of mass M has a charge q. What should be the magnitude of the electric field E to balance the drop?

Asked in GSEB Board July 2015; GSEB Board March 2019 · Balanced drop and Millikan

Answer: (1) (Mg)/q

Step-by-step solution

Given: a drop of mass M and charge q held at rest in a field E.

Idea: the drop is balanced when the upward electric force equals its weight.

qE = Mg

E = (Mg)/q

The field must point so that the force on the drop is upward (upward for a positive drop, downward for a negative one).

So the field needed is (Mg)/q.

Why the other options are wrong

More Motion of a Charge in an Electric Field questionsAll Motion of a Charge in an Electric Field questions →

Reading this solution needs no sign-in. You only sign in to practise against the clock and keep your progress.

Practise this with a timer