Question

If you are given the total mass of clips in each four containers and without knowing how many numbers of clips are there, how will you find out the mass of one clip?

First container: 7.5 g
Second container: 20 g
Third container: 50 g
Fourth container: 125 g

I have no idea how this relates to our topic in class.

Our topic in class is about the Millikan Oil drop and J.J thompson's charge-to-mass ratio.

Answer 1

maybe you can "guess"

the mass of one clip PROBABLY... this and that
Milikan also did the same method to find the charge of the elementary charge, e. But maybe it will not only be four containers, there should be more..
The one which is POSSIBLE or probably the GCF of the givens will be the mass of one clip.

for example, the mass of one clip probably be

0.5 g --> maybe
1.5 g--->maybe
2.5 g--->maybe
1 g--->not possible because the first container has a total mass of 7.5, it's impossible to have a half clip.

then do it again until you end up with something that makes sense

Answer 2

so what i'm saying is, there is no specific answer to this :)