Rutherford expected alpha particle to travel almost straight through a target of gold foil. The results of his gold foil experiment did not supportGroup of answer choicesThomson’s plum pudding theoryMillikan’s oil drop experimentThe cathode ray phenomenonBohr’s atomic model
Question
Rutherford expected alpha particle to travel almost straight through a target of gold foil. The results of his gold foil experiment did not supportGroup of answer choicesThomson’s plum pudding theoryMillikan’s oil drop experimentThe cathode ray phenomenonBohr’s atomic model
Solution
The results of Rutherford's gold foil experiment did not support Thomson’s plum pudding theory.
Here's why:
-
In Thomson's plum pudding model, the atom was believed to be a uniform positive sphere with electrons embedded in it.
-
Rutherford's experiment involved shooting alpha particles (which are positively charged) at a thin sheet of gold foil.
-
According to the plum pudding model, the alpha particles should have passed straight through the foil with little to no deflection, as the positive charge was thought to be spread out throughout the atom.
-
However, Rutherford observed that some alpha particles were deflected at large angles, and some even bounced back, indicating that the positive charge was concentrated in a small area (which he later called the nucleus), rather than being spread out.
-
This observation contradicted the plum pudding model, leading to the development of Rutherford's nuclear model of the atom.
Similar Questions
In Rutherford's famous experiment, he shot heavy, fast moving, positive alpha particles at a thin gold foil. Based on Thomson's plum pudding model of the atom, what did Rutherford expect to happen, and why? All the alpha particles would be deflected by the foil because of the even distribution of mass and charge throughout the atom. All the alpha particles would pass straight through the foil because of the even distribution of mass and charge throughout the atom. Most of the alpha particles would become embedded in the foil because they are attracted to the negative electrons in the atom. Some of the alpha particles would be deflected and some would pass through because of the negative charge of the electron cloud.
Explain Rutherford's gold foil experiment. What were its major findings and how did it contribute to our understanding of atomic structure?
Rutherford’s experiment established that
The element used by Rutherford duringhis a-scattering experiment.
n an experiment, «-particles are allowed to strike a thin gold foil in a vacuum.Almost all the a-particles pass straight through the gold undeflected. Only a very small number of a-particles are deflected from their original path.This result reveals certain features of the atoms of the gold.State what is shown about atoms by the fact thatsome alpha particles deflected back the way they came
Upgrade your grade with Knowee
Get personalized homework help. Review tough concepts in more detail, or go deeper into your topic by exploring other relevant questions.