answersLogoWhite

0


Best Answer
While most alpha particles passed straight through the foil. A small % of them were deflected at very large angles, some even backscattered. Because alpha particles have about 8000x the mass of an electron and impacted the foil at very high velocitiesIn order for the alpha particles to be deflected by significant amounts, they must pass close to one or more nuclei in the foil. Since nuclei occupy only a very small fraction of the the volume of an atom, and the foil was very thin so it was not very many atoms thick, the likelihood of such close encounters was small and only a small fraction of the alpha particles were deflected by large angles.
User Avatar

Wiki User

12y ago
This answer is:
User Avatar
More answers
User Avatar

Wiki User

11y ago

We now know that atoms have a positive nucleus and the alpha articles that Rutherford used are also positive, so the forces active in the experiment were primarily the repulsion of two positive charges.

Rutherford hypothesized an atom with an extremely tiny nucleus with all of the positive charge and virtually all of the Atomic Mass at its center. This was the only model of the atom consistent with his result that relatively few alpha particles were deflected and those that were deflected were deflected a great deal. It did not take long to do the theoretical calculations to show that the experimental results were consistent with a point-like nucleus of positive charge exerting a coulomb (inverse square of distance) repulsive force on the alpha particles.

The result in now called the Rutherford model of the atom and the type of scattering observed is called Rutherford scattering.


The alpha particles (nucleus of helium) were deflecting and bouncing off the nucleus of the target (gold) atom.

Rutherford hypothesized an atom with an extremely tiny nucleus with all of the positive charge and virtually all of the atomic mass at its center. This was the only model of the atom consistent with his result that relatively few alpha particles were deflected and those that were deflected were deflected a great deal. It did not take long to do the theoretical calculations to show that the experimental results were consistent with a point-like nucleus of positive charge exerting a coulomb (inverse square of distance) repulsive force on the alpha particles.

This answer is:
User Avatar

User Avatar

Wiki User

10y ago

They went forward to collide with the ZnS screen to create bright spots used by Rutherford for their detection.

This answer is:
User Avatar

User Avatar

Wiki User

11y ago

some of alpha particles were deflected through an angle of 90 degree

This answer is:
User Avatar

Add your answer:

Earn +20 pts
Q: Why were very few alpha particles deflected?
Write your answer...
Submit
Still have questions?
magnify glass
imp
Continue Learning about Physics

Who is Rutherford and the gold foil experiment?

Rutherford was a scientist who shot alpha particles through a very thin sheet of gold foil. The results of this experiment are the following: -Almost all alpha particles passed right through the Gold foil -A few alpha particlas were deflected and repelled .....These conclusions show that the majority of the atom of gold is empty space except for a small, positively charged nucleus. This nucleus is the reason why some alpha particlas were deflected(Alpha particles have a positive charge, which is repelled by a positive nucleus).


What can alpha particles can pass through?

Alpha particles can pass through very few substances. It can travel in air but has a range of only a few centimetres.


How did Rutherford explain the results of his gold foil experiment?

Rutherford made the following conclusions:Since most of the alpha particles passed straight through the gold foil without any deflection, most of the space within the atoms is empty.Since some of the alpha particles (which are big in size) were deflected by large angles or bounced backwards, they must have approached some positively charged region responsible for the deflection. This positively charged region is now called the nucleus.As very few alpha particles undergone the deflection, it was concluded that the volume occupied by the central region ( nucleus ) is very small.Since alpha particles which are relatively denser, were deflected by the central volume of charge, it shows that almost the complete mass of the atom must be within the central volume.


What were the conclusions of Rutherford's gold foil experiment?

Most of the alpha particles that were shot at the foil were not altered in their paths by the foil. The vast majority of them went right through. But a few particles were deflected partially in their trajectories because they rebounded off of gold atoms. But the most interesting and rare of all was that a few alpha particles bounced a great deal backwards or even straight back along their original path. This indicated that the atoms of gold were largely empty space (most alpha particles were unaffected) but that they have some sort of massive center (which we now call the nucleus) that is very very small (very few hit it) but is quite dense (alpha particles that did hit it got knocked way off course). The results challenged the belief at the time that atoms were in fact like fruit cake, the cake made of some sort of positively charged material with little bits of electron fruit embedded in it. In short: the results showed that atoms are mostly empty space but with a very dense center which we now call the nucleus.


What blocks alpha particles?

A few millimetres of lead.

Related questions

Why were few alpha particles deflected?

some of alpha particles were deflected through an angle of 90 degree


Who is Rutherford and the gold foil experiment?

Rutherford was a scientist who shot alpha particles through a very thin sheet of gold foil. The results of this experiment are the following: -Almost all alpha particles passed right through the Gold foil -A few alpha particlas were deflected and repelled .....These conclusions show that the majority of the atom of gold is empty space except for a small, positively charged nucleus. This nucleus is the reason why some alpha particlas were deflected(Alpha particles have a positive charge, which is repelled by a positive nucleus).


What can alpha particles can pass through?

Alpha particles can pass through very few substances. It can travel in air but has a range of only a few centimetres.


What conclusion about the atom came from Ernest Rutherfords famous gold foil experiment?

The conclusions were that the nucleus in an atom must:- (1) Be positive as it repelled the positive alpha-particles (2) Have a high mass, as the deflections were massive (3) Be very small as only a few of the particles were deflected


What will happen if you use beta particles on gold foil?

If the alpha particles hit the gold foil most of the alpha particles will pass through the gold foil because atoms mostly consists of empty space and some alpha particles will be deflected including a very small number of alpha particles will bounce back in the direction they came from because the atom has a very small positively charged mass called the nucleus.


How did Rutherford explain the results of his gold foil experiment?

Rutherford made the following conclusions:Since most of the alpha particles passed straight through the gold foil without any deflection, most of the space within the atoms is empty.Since some of the alpha particles (which are big in size) were deflected by large angles or bounced backwards, they must have approached some positively charged region responsible for the deflection. This positively charged region is now called the nucleus.As very few alpha particles undergone the deflection, it was concluded that the volume occupied by the central region ( nucleus ) is very small.Since alpha particles which are relatively denser, were deflected by the central volume of charge, it shows that almost the complete mass of the atom must be within the central volume.


What is the importance of Rutherford's Alpha Particle Experiment?

through this he proved that 1 most of the space inside an atom was empty 2 very few alpha radiations got deflected thus the positive sphere was very small


How is the Rutherford Experiment Done?

To do the Rutherford Experiment, you have to shoot alpha particles at gold foil to and see where the particles pass through and where they do not. This will give you a general idea of what Rutherford did to discover the nucleus of an atom. However, alpha particles are very hard to come upon, as they are the nucleus of Carbon. Rutherford knew that alpha particles are about 7000 times more massive than electrons and are positively charged and the charge is twice the magnitude of the charge of electrons.when Rutherford directed a beam of alpha particles at a thin gold foil,he found that almost all particles passed through it without deflecting.A very small were deflected at an angle, however, and a few actually bounded back toward the particle source.


How was it shown that atomic nuclei are positively charged?

when Rutherford did his experiment he got a observation that very few alpha particles (helium ions ) got deflected from their mean position . This indicates that there is very tiny positively charged particle or object is present . This led to the result that Nucleus is positively charged .


Which observations helped Rutherford determine that atoms have tiny dense positively charged nuclei?

A+ answer: A few of the alpha particles in his expeirment were deflected from the gold foil at large angles. Scattering pattern of alpha particles 'shot' at a thin gold foil. Most went straight thru showing the nucleus was very small. Analysis of the scattering showed electrical repulsion, not that the particles actually hit the nucleus and bounced off.


Why does alpha pass through some materials and not others?

Alpha particles can pass through very few materials. The spacing between nuclei of the material would have to be enormous for an alpha particle to pass through. The passage of alpha particles simply depends on the density of the material.


Which radioactive particle can be stopped by a regular sheet of notebook paper?

Alpha. Beta particles are blocked by a few mm of aluminum and gamma by a few cm of lead. Alpha. Beta particles are blocked by a few mm of aluminum and gamma by a few cm of lead.