Biography of Physicist Robert Andrews Millikan

Won Nobel Prize in Physics for Measuring the Charge on the Electron

Jun 12, 2009

A brief biography of Robert A. Millikan, who won the 1923 Nobel prize in physics for his famous Millikan oil drop experiment.

In his well known Millikan oil drop experiment, Robert Andrews Millikan accurately measured the fundamental electronic charge. What are the details of his life?

Millikan's Early Life and Education

Shortly after the end of the American Civil War, Robert Andrews Millikan was born in Morrison, Illinois on March 22, 1868. His father was a minister and much of Millikan's childhood was spent in rural Iowa. He attended high school in Maquoketa, Iowa.

Millikan attended Oberlin College and graduated in 1891 after primarily studying Greek and mathematics. With no one at Oberlin to teach him physics, Millikan learned basic physics on his own. His interest in physics increased when he taught introductory physics for two years after finishing college.

Millikan moved to Columbia University in 1893 to study physics. In 1895, Columbia University awarded Millikan its first PhD in physics for his studies of polarized light emitted by molten gold and silver.

Millikan's Early Career

Millikan then spent a year doing some postdoctoral work in Germany. He worked both at Gottingen and Berlin. At the time German universities were considered more advanced in physics than American universities, so it was common for promising young American physicists to spend time working or studying in Germany.

After returning the US in 1896, Millikan accepted an appointment at the University of Chicago and worked with the renowned experimental physicist, A.A. Michelson. Early in his career at Chicago Millikan made his mark as a great physics educator. He wrote or co-wrote several textbooks on various areas of physics. Millikan's textbooks made an important contribution to educating a generation of American physicists. However the University of Chicago wanted its faculty to conduct important research, so Millikan was not promoted as rapidly as customary.

Millikan's Physics Research

Millikan therefore decided to concentrate more heavily on his research. In 1910 he performed the experiment that would ultimately win him the 1923 Nobel prize in physics, the Millikan oil drop experiment. This experiment was the first accurate measurement of the charge on the electron. After this work, Millikan was finally appointed as a full professor at the University of Chicago.

While still at Chicago, Millikan also did some experimental work to confirm Einstein's theory of the photoelectric effect and measured the value of Planck's constant. During this period Millikan also worked on Brownian motion which contributed to the acceptance of atomic theory and the kinetic theory of gasses.

Millikan at Washington and California

In 1917, during World War I, Millikan moved to Washington to work on war related problems, such as submarine detection. He directed the National Research Council of the National Academy of Sciences.

In 1921 Millikan accepted a post at the California Institute of Technology, where he remained until his retirement. Millikan continued his scientific work by studying cosmic rays. He also became an important spokesman for scientific research and worked on raising the funds needed for science.

Millikan's Personal Life

In his personal life, Millikan married Greta Erwin Blanchard. They were married in 1902 and had three children. Millikan was so athletic as a youth that he briefly considered a career in physical education. He continued to enjoy tennis and golf through his adult life. He died at age 85 on December 19, 1953.

Millikan wrote prolifically throughout his career. He wrote many physics textbooks as well as scientific research papers. Perhaps his most famous work was his Millikan oil drop experiment, which earned him the Nobel prize in physics in 1923. He also won many other honors and awards.