Chapter : 4. Structure Of Atoms
The main conclusions of Rutherford’s experiment
The main conclusions of Rutherford’s experiment :
Most of the space inside the atom is empty. Therefore, most of the α-particles went through the gold foil without deflecting from their path.
There is a positive tiny part in the atom in its centre, which deflects or repels the α-particles. This must be containing the whole mass of the atom. Moreover, this mass must be occupying a very small space within the atom because only a few α-particles suffered large deflections. This positively charged heavy mass in the centre of the atom is called nucleus. The α-particle get deflected from their normal path when they came close to nucleus due to force of repulsion (similar charges).
The deflections of the α-particles to large angles indicate that the α-particles has direct collision with the positively charged nucleus.
It was observed that the volume of the nucleus is very small as compared to the total volume of the atom. The radius of the atom is of the order of 10–10m, while the radius of the nucleus has been estimated to be of the order of 10–15 m. This means that the size of the nucleus is extermely small i.e., about 105 times less than the size of the atom.
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