Explain Rutherford's alpha particle scattering experiment and what it provided evidence for

The experiment involved firing alpha particles at thin gold foil, where the number of alpha particles scattered at various angles were counted using a detector. This provided evidence for the existence, charge and small size of the nucleus.The fact that most alpha particles passed straight through unscattered suggested that the atom is mostly empty space. The fact that some were scattered through large angles > 90 degrees suggested that the nucleus has positive charge concentrated in a tiny central nucleus. This is because alpha particles have a +2 (positive) charge, and like charges repel.

CF
Answered by Caitlin F. Physics tutor

20476 Views

See similar Physics A Level tutors

Related Physics A Level answers

All answers ▸

During take-off from earth, an astronaut of mass 76kg has an area of contact with his seat of 0.095m^2. Calculate the average pressure on the seat when the upward acceleration of the rocket is 47ms^-2


Draw and describe the major points of a typical stress-strain graph for a metal.


what would be the mass required to keep an object with a mass of 250kg orbiting at a constant distance of 100km with a linear velocity of 100m/s?


How does a cyclotron work?


We're here to help

contact us iconContact ustelephone icon+44 (0) 203 773 6020
Facebook logoInstagram logoLinkedIn logo

MyTutor is part of the IXL family of brands:

© 2025 by IXL Learning