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The alpha particle is positively charged (as is the nucleus) and is heavy compared with the neutron that is neutral and lighter than the alpha particle.
Another viewpoint:
It depends what experiment the question is about. For example, over a hundred years ago, Rutherford bombarded gold foil with alpha particles and some "bounced off" what we now call the nucleus of the atoms. However, about ten years later he did experiments in which alpha particles did indeed "split" atomic nuclei. So, sometimes alpha particles can certainly smash a nucleus apart.
What else can I help you with?
Does antimatter have a nucleus?
Antimatter is composed of antiparticles in the same way that normal matter is composed of particles. Consider that atoms are composed of protons, neutrons and electrons. An antimatter atom could be composed of anti-protons, anti-neutrons and anti-electrons (which we know as positrons).
Is there a positron in the nucleus of an atom?
There are no positrons in the nucleus of any atom. Positrons are anti-electrons; they are antimatter. They could be said to be the antimatter equivalent of the electron, and, as such, they would be present around the nucleus of an antimatter atom as the electrons are present around the nucleus of a "regular" atom. Positrons can be produced in atomic nuclei by some kinds of radioactive decay, and they can be observed to be leaving a nuclear reaction called beta plus decay. But the positron leaves the nucleus of an atom as soon as it is created. It does not (cannot) exist in the nucleus of an atom.
What is the same as the number of protons in its nucleus?
The number of protons in an atomic nucleus can change by several different mechanisms. Let's look at each one and see what happens.In an atom with "too many" protons in its nucleus, that unstable atom can undergo what is called beta decay. There are two types of beta decay, and the one that could happen here goes by the name beta plus decay. In beta plus decay, a proton in the nucleus of that unstable atom transforms into a neutron. A positron and an antineutrino will be ejected from the nucleus, and the number of protons will have gone down by one. If you guessed that nuclear transmutation has just occurred where one element has transformed into another one, you'd be correct.In some other unstable atoms with "too many" protons in the nucleus, that nucleus could under an electron capture event. In electron capture, the nucleus "pulls in" a nearby electron from one of the inner shells of the atom, and that electron "combines" with a proton to become a neutron. Again, the number of protons in the nucleus goes down by one, and nuclear transmutation has occurred.Lastly, it is possible to bombard atomic nuclei with particles and "knock" protons out of a nucleus that is "hit" by the bombarding particles. There are a few different activities that are carried out in nuclear physics labs to do this, but we'll leave it here for now. Just keep in mind that beta plus decay and electron capture are the two primary methods that unstable nuclei undergo when they change the number of protons they have. Links to related questions can be found below for more information.
What would a carbon atom look and sound like if you you could shrink the size of a subatomic particle and move it near the nucleus?
If we were to shrink down to the size of a subatomic particle and move near the nucleus of a carbon atom, we would likely observe a dense cloud of electron probability surrounding the nucleus. Since electrons do not follow a fixed path, we would not "see" them in a traditional sense, but rather detect their presence as a probability distribution. In terms of sound, at this scale, the concept of sound as we know it would not apply, as it is a macroscopic phenomenon based on the vibration of particles in a medium.
Why do neutrons work better than protons in causing fission?
Contrary to how many (including my younger self) envision the process, fission is not a process of a nucleon blasting its way into a nucleus, scattering the latter like a fast moving marble smashing into a group of other marbles. Instead, it results when a nucleus is too large to be stable for more than a few micro-seconds. This happens when a nucleus absorbs one too many nucleons. Thus, the best way to create fission is to send a nucleon into the nucleus that will absorb that nucleon. It so happens that slow neutrons are BY FAR the most likely nucleons to absorbed by a nucleus, leading to a nucleus so unstable that it breaks apart. Protons and fast neutrons simply have so little chance of being absorbed, that they could never be used to create fission.
Which atom could not emit an alpha particle?
Alpha particles consist of two protons and two neutrons (the nucleus of a helium atom). Therefore, Hydrogen is the only element that doesn't contain (and can't emit) an alpha particle.
Where could one locate Alpha particles?
Alpha particles are most commonly found when alpha decay occurs. An alpha particle is emitted during alpha decay. Further information about alpha particles can be found on the Wikipedia website.
What is a stream of particles containing two neutrons and two protons?
A stream of particles containing two neutrons and two protons is an alpha particle. Alpha particles are emitted during alpha decay in radioactive processes. They have a positive charge and are relatively heavy compared to other types of particles.
Why does an alpha particle change direction when it hits gold foil?
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!
Which atom could not possibly emit an alpha particle?
Helium-4 cannot emit an alpha particle, as an alpha particle is composed of two protons and two neutrons. Helium-4 already has two protons and two neutrons in its nucleus, so it cannot emit an alpha particle.
What does the unstable nucleus of an atom give off during radioactive decay?
An unstable nucleus (radioactive isotope) may emit: alpha particles, beta particles, gamma radiations, electrons, positrons, X-rays, and neutrons, depending on which nucleus is doing the emitting.
What were the conclusions and drawbacks of this gold foil experiment?
The conclusions of the gold foil experiment were that atoms are mostly empty space with a small, dense nucleus at the center. This led to the development of the nuclear model of the atom. Drawbacks of the experiment include the assumption that all alpha particles would be deflected, which was not always the case, and the limited precision of the equipment used at the time.
What caused the deflection of the alpha particles in Rutherford's gold foil experiment?
The alpha particles scatter from the atomic nuclei in the gold foil. The repulsive electrostatic force between the nucleus and the alpha particle (because both are positively charged and like charges repel) deflects the alpha particle. Because of the large mass and (relatively) large energy of the alpha particles in Rutherford scattering experiments, the alpha particles are largely unaffected by the electrons in the gold atoms. More accurately, the scattering of the alpha particles from the electrons produces small angular deflections.Because the nucleus is small -- approximately 1/10000th the size of the whole atom -- most of the time the alpha particles will pass through the atom with little or no deflection. But occasionally, the alpha particles will start on a trajectory that, without the electrostatic deflection, would take them very close to the nucleus. In such cases, the electrostatic force produces a large angular deflection and can even scatter the alpha particles backwards. If the positive charge in the atom were distributed over the entire size of the atom, the likelihood of having such a large-angle scattering would be much smaller than it was (is) observed to be. Thus, the original experiments demonstrated that the positive charge in atoms is confined to a small region at the very center of an atom. Indeed, the data also provided an estimate of the size of the nucleus. More advanced analyses of such scattering experiments with modern equipment but using electron beams have provided detailed measurements of nuclear diameters for a wide range of atomic nuclei.
Could a nucleus of more than one proton but no nucleus exist?
No , because the neutrons have the same particles as the nucleus.
Why do some nuclei found in nature give off alpha particles?
Some nuclei found in nature are unstable and undergo radioactive decay, where they emit alpha particles to become more stable. This process helps the nucleus reach a more balanced state by releasing excess protons and neutrons in the form of an alpha particle, which consists of two protons and two neutrons.
What two things do radioactive atoms give off when they decay?
Radioactive atoms can give off several different particles. There are three different "types" of radiation, beta, gamma, and alpha. Beta decays which give off electrons/positrons as well as gamma rays (usually). Gamma emmitters are generally meta stable particles that omit a gamma ray in order to stabilize the nuclears, and their are alpha decays which eject a alpha particle (a helium nucleus). On rarer occasions radioactive particles can also be classified as neutron emitters.
Why did Rutherford do the gold foil experiment in a evacuated chamber?
Rutherford conducted the gold foil experiment in an evacuated chamber to reduce interference from air molecules that could affect the path of alpha particles. This ensured a clean environment for the experiment and allowed for more accurate measurements of the scattering of alpha particles by the gold foil, leading to the discovery of the atomic nucleus.
