Rutherford's Alpha Scattering Experiment

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Questions and Answers

What is the size comparison between the atomic nucleus and the atom according to Rutherford's Atom Model?

The size of the nucleus is equal to the size of the atom
The size of the nucleus is greater than the size of the atom
The size of the nucleus is negligible compared to the size of the atom
The size of the nucleus is very small compared to the size of the atom (correct)

What did Rutherford's Alpha Scattering Experiment indicate about the space within an atom?

The space within an atom is filled with positive charges
The space within an atom is occupied by electrons
Most of the space in an atom is empty (correct)
The space within an atom is completely filled with alpha particles

What was the observation regarding the deflection of alpha particles by the positive region in an atom?

Alpha particles were deflected by the electrons in an atom
Alpha particles were deflected by the neutrally charged region in an atom
Alpha particles were not deflected by any region in an atom
Alpha particles could only be deflected by heavy and positive region in an atom (correct)

What conclusion can be drawn about the atomic nucleus based on Rutherford's Atom Model?

The entire positive charge and almost entire mass of the atom are concentrated in the atomic nucleus (A) Signup and view all the answers

What maintains the overall electrical neutrality of an atom according to Rutherford's Atom Model?

The total negative charge of electrons surrounding the nucleus equals the positive charge on the nucleus (C) Signup and view all the answers

Describe the key points of Rutherford's Atom Model and its implications for the structure of an atom.

Rutherford's Atom Model proposed that every atom consists of a tiny central core called the atomic nucleus, where the entire positive charge and almost the entire mass are concentrated. The size of the nucleus is very small compared to the size of the atom. The atomic nucleus is surrounded by a certain number of electrons, maintaining the overall electrical neutrality of the atom. Signup and view all the answers

Explain the observations and conclusions of Rutherford's Alpha Scattering Experiment regarding the deflection of alpha particles in the gold foil.

The observations of Rutherford's Alpha Scattering Experiment indicated that most alpha particles passed straight through the gold foil, suggesting that most of the space in an atom is empty. Some alpha particles were scattered by small angles, indicating the presence of a small, positive region within the atom. A few alpha particles were deflected through large angles, indicating the presence of a concentrated positive charge at the center of the atom, known as the nucleus. Signup and view all the answers

What does Rutherford's Atom Model propose about the distribution of positive charge and mass within an atom? Provide a detailed explanation.

Rutherford's Atom Model proposes that the entire positive charge and almost the entire mass of an atom are concentrated in a tiny central core called the atomic nucleus. This implies that the positive charges and most of the mass of the atom are concentrated at the center, while the rest of the atom is mostly empty space. Signup and view all the answers

Explain the concept of Coulomb's force of repulsion and its role in the deflection of alpha particles in Rutherford's experiment.

Coulomb's force of repulsion refers to the electrostatic force between two positively charged particles, such as alpha particles and the positively charged nucleus. In Rutherford's experiment, alpha particles that traveled directly towards the nucleus were retarded due to this force and ultimately deflected, resulting in the observation of large angle deflections. Signup and view all the answers

Discuss the implications of Rutherford's Atom Model on the size comparison between the atomic nucleus and the atom as a whole.

According to Rutherford's Atom Model, the size of the atomic nucleus is of the order of $10^{-15}$ m, which is very small compared to the size of the atom, which is of the order of $10^{-10}$ m. This implies that the nucleus occupies a very small fraction of the total volume of the atom. Signup and view all the answers

What did the deflection of alpha particles by small angles suggest about the structure of the atom?

The deflection of alpha particles by small angles suggested that the positive charges and most of the mass of the atom are concentrated at the center called the 'nucleus'. Signup and view all the answers

What was the key observation from Rutherford's Alpha Scattering Experiment regarding the deflection of alpha particles by the gold foil?

Most of the α-particles passed straight through the gold foil, indicating that most of the space in an atom is empty. Signup and view all the answers

What did Rutherford's Atom Model propose about the size and location of the atomic nucleus?

Rutherford's Atom Model proposed that the atom consists of a tiny central core, called the atomic nucleus, in which the entire positive charge and almost entire mass are concentrated. Signup and view all the answers

How did Rutherford's experiment indicate the size comparison between the atomic nucleus and the atom as a whole?

Rutherford's experiment indicated that the size of the nucleus is very small (of the order of $10^{-15} m$) compared to the size of the atom (of the order of $10^{-10} m$). Signup and view all the answers

What maintains the overall electrical neutrality of an atom according to Rutherford's Atom Model?

The total negative charge of the electrons surrounding the nucleus is equal to the positive charge on the nucleus, maintaining the overall electrical neutrality of the atom. Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

Rutherford's Atom Model

The atomic nucleus is incredibly small compared to the atom, with the nucleus occupying only about 1/10,000th of the atom's diameter.