a) Alpha scattering

a) alpha particle scattering experiment; evidence of a small charged nucleus


alpha particle scattering experiment

  • a narrow beam of alpha particles travels towards a thin gold foil


observations

  • most alpha particles travelled through the thin gold foil

  • some were scattered

  • very few were scattered at an angle greater than 90°


first observation

  • most of an atom is empty space

second and third observation

  • the nucleus of an atom is positively charged