Rutherford's experiment

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Physics unit 5 Flashcards on Rutherford's experiment, created by sammy414 on 12/02/2014.
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Flashcards by sammy414, updated more than 1 year ago
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Question Answer
What was Rutherford's experiment? The scattering of alpha particles to investigate the composition of gold foil (explained the model of an atom)
What was the procedure of Rutherford's experiment? Fired alpha particles through a piece of gold foil Used a zinc sulphide detector to detect the scattered alpha particles and their location
What was the results of Rutherford's experiment? Most alpha particles past through the gold foil A few alpha particles deflected from their path but continued through the gold foil A small number of alpha particles rebounded
What could Rutherford conclude from the results of his experiment? The particles that passed through meant most of the atom was empty space The particles that were deflected were due to positive charge of the foil The particles that rebounded meant they collided with something much larger and heavier with a concentrated positive charge
What did Rutherford suggest from his observations? The atom had a positively charged center which contained most of the mass- he called this the nucleus He also suggested the nucleus was surrounded by orbiting electrons to sustain neutrality
What limitations did Rutherford's experiment have? The alpha particles and nucleus are both positively charged so they experience a repulsive force between them As the alpha particle approaches the nucleus its kinetic energy is depleted by the work done by the electric field
What is the distance of closest approach? How close the particle can get before its Kinetic energy is depleted
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