In Rutherford's gold foil experiment:
A) the alpha particles used were attracted to the positive particles in the gold foil.
B) Rutherford's expectations for the experiment were proven to be correct.
C) neutrons were discovered.
D) the alpha particles mostly bounced off the foil, with most particles undergoing sharp deflections.
E) Rutherford concluded that there must be a compact, massive, positively charged particle inside the gold atoms.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

In Rutherford's gold foil experiment, alpha particles were fired at a thin sheet of gold foil. Contrary to his expectations, most of the alpha particles passed through the foil, but some were deflected at sharp angles. Rutherford concluded that there must be a compact, massive, positively charged particle inside the gold atoms that caused the deflection of the alpha particles. This discovery led to the development of the nuclear model of the atom. Option A is incorrect because the alpha particles were positively charged and were repelled by the positive charges in the gold atoms. Option B is incorrect because Rutherford's expectations were not met by the experimental results. Option C is incorrect because neutrons were not discovered until several years later by James Chadwick. Option D is only partly correct - most particles passed through the foil, while some were deflected.

In Rutherford's Gold Foil Experiment