Question

Explain: Most of the space in an atom is empty.

Answer 1

Atom:

1. The smallest unit of ordinary matter that makes up a chemical element is an atom.
2. It is made up of protons, electrons, and neutrons.

Empty space in an atom:

1. Rutherford discovered that the majority of alpha particles flowed through the gold foil with no deflection, indicating that the atom is mostly empty.
2. Because atoms contain electrons with minimal mass, most of the space in an atom is vacant.
3. As a result of containing both neutrons and protons, the nucleus contains all of the atom's mass.
4. Atoms also have a lot of shells or orbits in which electrons rotate.
5. As a result, the majority of the space in an atom is vacant.