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Millikan

Millikan is a surname. The most prominent bearer is Robert Andrews Millikan (1868–1953), an American experimental physicist whose work helped establish key measurements in atomic physics.

Born in Morrison, Illinois, Millikan earned a bachelor’s degree from Oberlin College in 1891 and a Ph.D.

Millikan is best known for the oil-drop experiment, conducted beginning in 1909. In this experiment, tiny oil

In 1923, Millikan was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics for his work on the elementary charge

from
the
University
of
Chicago
in
1895.
He
became
a
leading
figure
in
early
20th-century
experimental
physics,
advancing
techniques
and
precision
measurements
that
supported
the
emerging
quantum
theory.
droplets
were
suspended
in
an
electric
field,
allowing
precise
measurements
of
the
charge
on
individual
drops.
From
these
measurements,
Millikan
determined
the
elementary
charge
and
provided
strong
evidence
for
the
quantization
of
electric
charge,
a
foundational
result
in
atomic
physics.
of
electricity
and
for
his
work
on
the
photoelectric
effect.
His
experimental
methods
and
findings
influenced
subsequent
research
in
quantum
mechanics
and
the
study
of
atomic
structure,
and
his
legacy
endures
in
the
way
scientists
approach
precision
measurements
in
physics.