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Why does an alpha particle change direction when it hits gold foil?
Wiki User
∙ 16y ago
Most alpha particles (a pair of protons and a pair of neutrons tied together by nuclear bonds - a helium nucleus) will pass right through the foil. But some will be deflected. That's because those alpha particles have electrostatically interacted with a gold atom nucleus. The gold nucleus is positively charged, and so is the alpha particle. And positive charges don't like each other. The interaction of the charges causes the alpha particles to be deflected if they approach the nucleus. If the alpha particle is on a trajectory that will take it very near (or right at) the nucleus, it will undergo proportionally more deflection, and could actually bounce back the way it came. (The technical term for this interaction is scattering.) This type of early experiment helped investigators determine that the atom had most of its mass concentrated in a nucleus. Before that, it was suspected that the particles that made up the atom were distributed within it in a "general" way. If that was true, the all the alpha particles that were shot at the foil would pass through and none would be deflected. But in the experiment, some were. Why? There must be something inside there that is big and bad and caused the alpha particles to bounce off of it. Oooo, snap! A nuclear atom with mass concentrated in the middle!
Wiki User
∙ 16y ago
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What causes some of the alpha particles to bounce straight back from the gold foil?
Alpha particles are composed of two neutrons and two protons, so they have a positive charge. When the alpha particles bounced straight back from the gold foil, this indicated that they had hit a particle of like charge, in other words a positively charged particle in the gold foil, which repelled the alpha particle.
The kind of particle Rutherford used to shoot through gold foil?
Rutherford shot high-energy alpha particles (two protons and two neutrons, or a helium nucleus) at the gold foil. A small fraction of these alpha particles bounced back, and that is how Rutherford discovered the nucleus.
Why is gold foil used in the alpha particle scattering?
Hi I believe the answer to be because of its high density. Gold or Aurum (Au) is very dense and hence will 'reflect'and 'deflect' alpha particles, which are helium nuclei. Beta particles are electrons Hope that helps
What is a conclusion about the atom's structure gained from Rutherford's gold foil-alpha particle experiments?
The conclusion is that the positive charges in an atom are concentrated in a fairly small space, now known as the nucleus.
How does large angle alpha particle scattering give evidence for a nuclear model of atom?
In the gold foil experiment, only a small amount of the alpha particles are scattered; but those scatter at a large angle. This shows that most of the mass is concentrated in a small space.
How could an alpha particle strike the phosphor screen on the same side of the foil as the alpha particle source?
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What causes some of the alpha particles to bounce straight back from the gold foil?
Alpha particles are composed of two neutrons and two protons, so they have a positive charge. When the alpha particles bounced straight back from the gold foil, this indicated that they had hit a particle of like charge, in other words a positively charged particle in the gold foil, which repelled the alpha particle.
What caused the deflection of the alpha particles in Rutherfords gold foil experiment?
A zinc sulfide coated screen surrounding the gold foil produced a flash of light whenever it was struck by an alpha particle. By noting where the flash occurred, the scientists could determine if the atoms in the gold foil deflected the alpha particles.
What is a radioactive particle that is made up of two neutrons and two protons?
Used by Rutherford in his experiment made of two protons and two neutrons are alpha particles. Rutherford discovered the nucleus using his gold foil experiment.
The kind of particle Rutherford used to shoot through gold foil?
Rutherford shot high-energy alpha particles (two protons and two neutrons, or a helium nucleus) at the gold foil. A small fraction of these alpha particles bounced back, and that is how Rutherford discovered the nucleus.
Why wouldn't the electrons int the atoms of the gold foil affect the paths of the alpha particles?
For much the same reason a car's path isn't affected much by someone throwing a pillow at it.Electrons are on the order of 7500 times less massive than an alpha particle; hitting them makes almost no difference to the motion of the alpha particle.
What is the role of alpha particle in Rutherford experiment and why he had not taken proton instead of alpha particle?
Ernest Rutherford used alpha particles to bombard a thin gold foil. In the early 1900's, particle accelerators were new and worked on the same principle as the old TV sets (before the plasma and LED ones we have now) The alpha particle was emitted from radium bromide in to a vacuum tube with a large electric field applied. The alpha, with charge = +2 electrons, was accelerated in the electric field and made to hit the gold foil. By looking at the ways the alpha particles bounced off the foil, Rutherford formulated a model of the atomic structure more or less as we know it today - A dense nucleus and electrons floating around the outside. Basically, the vast majority of the atom volume is vacuum. He didn't use protons because there is no radioactive substance which emits protons. Only alpha emiitters (2p + 2n), beta elecron/positron emitters and gamme (high energy light) emitters exist naturally.
How did the result of gold foil experiment lead Rutherford to recognize the existence of atomic nuclei?
By beaming alpha particles through gold foil and witnessing some of them deflecting, there had to be a mass larger than an alpha particle in the atomic structure. This disproved the plum pudding theory of the atom, as electrons would not have had enough mass to deflect the larger alpha particles.
How do we know atoms are made up of small dense positive nucleus?
The first ever experiment this fact was the alpha particle experiment which was conducted by Rutherford. In this experiment, alpha particles are positive charged substances and they were repulsed with the nuclei in the golden foil.
Why is gold foil used in the alpha particle scattering?
Hi I believe the answer to be because of its high density. Gold or Aurum (Au) is very dense and hence will 'reflect'and 'deflect' alpha particles, which are helium nuclei. Beta particles are electrons Hope that helps
What is a conclusion about the atom's structure gained from Rutherford's gold foil-alpha particle experiments?
The conclusion is that the positive charges in an atom are concentrated in a fairly small space, now known as the nucleus.
Does a beta particle have a zero charge?
The particle that carries the positive charge (a proton) is much more massive than the particle that carries the negative charge (an electron) The charges are equal in magnitude though of opposite polarity.
