What concept was the basis for Rutherford's model of the atom that resulted from the famous Gold Foil experiment?

Answer 1

It was known that electrons, protons and neutrons made up the atom, but what was its internal structure? It was suspected that the particles that made up the atom were distributed within it in a "general" way. So they ran an experiment which involved shooting alpha particles at foil. The alpha particle is two protons and two neutrons - a heavy little critter. And if it was true that the particles making up the atom were distributed throughout its volume, then all the alpha particles that were shot at the foil would pass through and none would be deflected very much if at all. But in the experiment, some were. There were even some that bounced back the way they came! 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 most of the mass concentrated in the middle! That's the concept that formed Rutherford's "new and improved" model of the atom. Note: The alpha particle is actually deflected (scattered is the term) by electrostatic forces between it and the nucleus. Both are positive, and positives don't like each other. Also, we need to give some props to Geiger and Marsden, Rutherford's assistants. They are the one's who performed the experiment. (It bears their names as the link shows.) Hit the link and read about the experiment if you haven't already done so.

Answer 2

The concept of a dense, positively charged nucleus at the center of the atom was the basis for Rutherford's model. The Gold Foil experiment showed that most of the alpha particles passed through the foil undeflected, suggesting that the atom is mostly empty space with a small, dense nucleus.