Question

From Rutherford’s alpha ray particle scattering experiment give the experimental evidence for deriving the conclusion that (i) most of the space inside the atom is empty. (ii) the nucleus of an atom is positively charged

Answer 1

• Most of the fast moving α-particles passed straight through the gold foil:Since most α-particles passed through the gold foil without any deflection, most of the space inside an atom is empty.
• Some α-particles were deflected through the foil by small angles:Very few particles suffered a deflection from their path. This means that positive charge occupies very little space inside an atom.