Determination of the Charge of Electron Using Faraday's Law of Electrolysis
Abstract
We propose a simple experiment for measuring the charge of the electron based on Faraday's law of electrolysis, assuming the known value of Avogadro's number. The experimental setup consists of electrolytic cells connected in series, so that the same electric current passes through each electrolyte. By measuring the mass deposited at the electrodes and relating it to the total electric charge transferred through the electrolyte using Faraday's law, the charge of the electron can be determined. The experiment requires only standard laboratory equipment, and its performance and analysis are within the skills and knowledge of most students taking algebra-based general physics courses. It is therefore particularly suitable for instructional laboratories in high schools and two- and four-year colleges. We demonstrate that students can obtain a reasonable value for the charge of the electron from simple measurements, providing a direct experimental connection between Faraday's law, Avogadro's number, and the electron charge.
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BibTeX
@misc{kezerashvili2026determination,
title = {{Determination of the Charge of Electron Using Faraday's Law of Electrolysis}},
author = {Vladimir Ya. Kezerashvili and Roman Ya. Kezerashvili},
howpublished = {arXiv},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.48550/arxiv.2609.28221},
eprint = {2609.28221},
archivePrefix = {arXiv},
url = {https://arxiv.org/abs/2609.28221},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - UNPB
TI - Determination of the Charge of Electron Using Faraday's Law of Electrolysis
AU - Vladimir Ya. Kezerashvili
AU - Roman Ya. Kezerashvili
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/23
PB - arXiv
DO - 10.48550/arxiv.2609.28221
UR - https://arxiv.org/abs/2609.28221
AB - We propose a simple experiment for measuring the charge of the electron based on Faraday's law of electrolysis, assuming the known value of Avogadro's number. The experimental setup consists of electrolytic cells connected in series, so that the same electric current passes through each electrolyte. By measuring the mass deposited at the electrodes and relating it to the total electric charge transferred through the electrolyte using Faraday's law, the charge of the electron can be determined. The experiment requires only standard laboratory equipment, and its performance and analysis are within the skills and knowledge of most students taking algebra-based general physics courses. It is therefore particularly suitable for instructional laboratories in high schools and two- and four-year colleges. We demonstrate that students can obtain a reasonable value for the charge of the electron from simple measurements, providing a direct experimental connection between Faraday's law, Avogadro's number, and the electron charge.
ER -