22# Alpha-particle scattering experiment
The alpha particle scattering experiment, also known as Rutherford’s gold foil experiment, was a groundbreaking experiment conducted by Ernest Rutherford in 1909. It provided crucial evidence for the nuclear model of the atom.
In this experiment two things were noticed:
- Most alpha particles passed right trough the foil without any reflection but were slightly scattered by the gold atoms (1 in 2000)
- Very few particles (1 in 10,000) were deflected.
Interactions of the particles at an atomic level
This figure shows an example of how some of the particles interacted with the gold nucleus:
The further away the particle was from the nucleus, the less of the angle.
See also
References
- 30.2 Discovery of the Parts of the Atom: Electrons and Nuclei - College Physics 2e | OpenStax
WEB - A Level Physics A OCR (Pages 470-472)
BOOK - Rutherford scattering experiments - Wikipedia
WEB - The Physics Book DK Books (Pages 240-241)
BOOK