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At the turn of the century several crucial experiments were performed to demonstrate the
atomic structure of matter. In 1897 J.J. Thompson was able to observe the motion of single
electrons in electric and magnetic fields, and so determine the ratio of the electron’s charge, e, to
its mass, m. This demonstrated some interesting things about the atom. First of all, this ratio is
exactly the same for all electrons, suggesting that they are fundamental particles rather than just
fragments of matter. Secondly, since the typical charge on atomic particles was known
approximately at the time, the mass of the electron could be estimated, and it turns out to be very
tiny compared to the mass of an atom. This was the first suggestion that the electron in an atom
might be a small particle orbiting a larger one, like the Earth in the solar system.
I. Theory
A. The apparatus.
This experiment is carried out in a special vacuum tube, which contains a small amount of
mercury vapor. Electrons emitted by a heated cathode are accelerated by the voltage applied
between the cathode and anode. Some of the electrons come out in a narrow beam through a
circular hole in the center of the cylinder. This emission is then focused into a narrow beam by
the grid of the tube. When electrons of sufficiently high kinetic energy leaving the cathode
collide with mercury atoms a fraction of the atoms become ionized. Upon recombination of the
ions with stray electrons, a characteristic blue color is observed. This makes the path of the
beam of electrons visible as the electrons travel through
the mercury vapor.
B (out of
A magnetic field is applied using a pair of coils of
wire. Two coils, separated by a distance equal to their
paper)
radius, are referred to as Helmholz coils. The advantage
of this configuration is that it gives a rather uniform field
over a rather large area around the centerpoint. The
magnetic field at the center of the tube is calculated from
a relation given in its manual, F
B = 7.7 x10−4 I
where I is the current in amps, and B is in Teslas.
e/m - 1
situation is shown in figure 1.
The magnetic force, equal to evB, is the only force on the electron; so, Newton’s second law
(F=ma) gives
mv 2
evB =
r
The direction of the force on the electron is given by the right-hand rule. Walker gives this rule
as follows: "To find the direction of the magnetic force on a positive charge, start by pointing
the fingers of your right hand in the direction of the velocity, v. Now, curl your fingers toward
the direction of B. Your thumb points in the direction of F. If the charge is negative, the force
points opposite to the direction or your thumb." You should be able to use this rule to confirm
that the force on the electron shown in figure 1 is towards the center of the circle.
The velocity, v of the electron can be related to the accelerating voltage, using energy
conservation:
Drop in potential energy = gain in kinetic energy
1
eV = mv 2
2
Solving this expression for v, and substituting into eB = mv/r, gives us the relationship:
e 2V
= 2 2 (1)
m B r
Turn the apparatus on, and wait for warm-up (about one minute). Turn the voltage up to
about 200 volts. A beam will now be observed on the glass envelope opposite the anode. Adjust
the current through the coils and observe how the beam curves up into the sphere of the tube and
eventually bends over to complete a full circle.
e/m - 2
Q2. How will the Earth's field affect the motion of the electrons?
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I = (2Vm/(k2e))1/2 (1/r)
Thus if we plot I as a function of 1/r, the curve should be a straight line, whose slope is related to
e/m. In this case the slope a is given by
a = (2Vm/(k2e))1/2,
and the charge-to-mass ratio is calculated from it using the relation
e/m = 2V/(k2a2).
Now set V to a fixed value (200 V). Then determine r for various settings of I, the current
through the coils. Plot I against 1/r and find the slope of the graph. Then use your value of the
slope to determine e/m, using the relation given above. Note: to get the slope in the right units,
r should be expressed in meters.
Q4. Describe the sources of error in this part of the experiment.
D. Error analysis
Now you have two experimentally determined values for e/m. Use them to calculate a best
value (the average) and the error on the average value. [See the first experiment, "Data Analysis
on the IBM PC," for instructions on calculating averages and standard deviations.] State your
final result, complete with error.
Compare the expected value of e/m with your measurement in the standard way
(discrepancy, number of sigmas, quality of agreement
Q5. Is your result credible? In other words, does the uncertainty (or experimental error) which
you calculated account for your discrepancy?
Q6. The difference between the two values of e/m measured by different methods has been used
to determine the uncertainty in your final result. Explain how this procedure can allow for
unknown sources of error.
III. Equipment
Daedalon e/m apparatus
Bar magnet
Compass
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