Question

Name the scientist and his experiment to prove that nucleus of an atom is positively charged.

Answer 1

Rutherford's model of an atom:

1. Rutherford performed a gold foil experiment to design the model of an atom.
2. In this experiment, he bombarded a thin foil of gold with positively charged alpha particles.

The results of Rutherford's model of an atom are:

1. Most of the positively charged alpha particles went undeflected through the foil. This shows that most of the space in an atom is empty.
2. Few positively charged alpha particles deflected through small and large angles. This shows that there is a presence of a positive center in the atom. This positive center is known as the nucleus.
3. Very few positively charged alpha particles bounced back. This is because the nucleus is very dense and does not allow the alpha particles to pass through it.
4. The volume occupied by the nucleus is negligible compared to the total volume of the atom. This shows that the radius of an atom is much higher than that of the nucleus.

Thus, Rutherford through his gold foil experiment proved that the nucleus of an atom is positively charged.