Question

Which one of the following scientist discovered nucleus of an atom?

• A. Rutherford
• B. Michael Faraday
• C. Neils Bohr
• D. Enrico Fermi

Answer 1

The correct option is A

Rutherford

Explanation for correct option

(A) Rutherford

Postulates of Rutherford's model of an atom:

• In his experiment, the α-particles were made to come down on a thin gold foil.
• Many of the α-particles passed linearly through the gold foil.
• Some of the particles deviated at small angles.
• One out of every $12000$ particles appeared to bounce.

Conclusion of Rutherford's model of an atom:

• The space inside an atom is empty as most of the α-particles pass without deflection through the gold foil.
• The positive charge occupies minimum space, indicating that very few particles were diverted from their path.
• A very small proportion of α-particles were diverted by $180°$.
• Since an atom has a very small overall volume, the positively charged particles' volume is also very small.
• The nucleus of an atom refers to the positively charged particles within it.

Explanation for incorrect options

(B) Michael Faraday

• An English scientist named Michael Faraday FRS contributed to electrochemistry and electromagnetic fields.
• His major discoveries include the fundamentals of electrolysis, diamagnetism, and electromagnetic induction.

(C) Niels Bohr

• In the atom model that Niels Bohr proposed, the electron could only occupy specific orbits around the nucleus.
• The electrons were constrained to certain orbits around the nucleus in this atomic model, which was the first to use quantum theory.

(D) Enrico Fermi

• Enrico Fermi received the Nobel Prize in Physics for his research on the radioactivity created artificially by neutrons and the nuclear processes caused by slow neutrons.

Therefore the correct option is (A) Rutherford .