Question

Rutherford's model of an atom is also called a planetary model of the atom. Explain

Answer 1

• Rutherford discovered that a positive charge of an atom & nearly all its mass is contained in a small location, leaving the rest of the atom to be essentially empty space.
• The nucleus, according to Rutherford, is the location where the positive charge concentrates. He was correct in his prediction that the nucleus contains positively charged particles known as protons.

Explanation of planetary model:

• In Rutherford's atomic model, the electrons circle the heavy nucleus-like planet around the sun, as shown in the diagram below.
• For this reason, his model is also known as the planetary model.
• Rutherford had no notion where the nucleus' electrons orbited and how they surrounded it.