Question

Which of the following would have been the observation of the alpha particles scattering experiment if Thomson’s model of the atom was correct?

• A. Most of the alpha particles passed through the gold foil undeflected
• B. A small fraction of alpha particles is deflected by small angle
• C. A very few alpha particles bounced back
• D. Most of the alpha particles bounce back or gets heavily deflected

Answer 1

The correct option is D Most of the alpha particles bounce back or gets heavily deflected

If Thomson’s model of the atom is correct then the positive charge of the atom is uniformly distributed over the atom that will cause most of the alpha particles to bounce back or be heavily deflected due to electrostatic repulsions.