Use Rutherford's gold-foil experiment to answer each of the follo...

Question

Use Rutherford's gold-foil experiment to answer each of the following: (4.3)c. How did he use the results to propose a model of the atom?

Accepted Answer

Welcome back, everyone. How did Rutherford's Gold Foil experiment contribute to the development of the atomic model choice A states that it supported the previously accepted model of the atom known as the plum putting model. Choice B states that it provided evidence for the existence of a small dense positively charged nucleus at the center of the atom. Choice C states that it showed that the positive charge of an atom was spread evenly throughout its structure and choice D states that it suggested that the negatively charged electrons are located at the center of the atom. We're going to need to begin by recalling the key concepts behind Thompson's plum putting model will just say Thompson's model for shorthand. And according to Thompson's model, there was a proposal that we have within a positively charged sphere, negatively charged electrons embedded inside. Next, we want to consider Rutherford's gold foil experiment where the key concept was that we had alpha particles which were bombarded towards a piece of gold foil and gold was used because it had little to no deflection. However, in Rutherford's gold foil experiment, a majority of these alpha particles would pass through while some became deflected. So we can note down that most of the alpha's pass and some deflect and due to the deflection of some of these alpha particles, Rutherford therefore determined that there's a presence within our gold of a small and positive densely charged region again, within our atom of gold. Now, this was inconsistent with Thompson's model because as we've shown Thompson's model stated that we have within a positive sphere, negative electrons. However, on the contrary, Rutherford's Gold foil experiment is defining that we have a small region that is filled with a positive charge. So last, we need to consider what Rutherford proposed next, which was Rutherford's nuclear model, in which Rutherford proposed that for an atom we have at the center a nucleus which this nucleus contains a positive charge where our protons should lie concentrated here at the center of our atom where the nucleus is. And Rutherford also proposed according to this nuclear model that electrons lie on the outside of this center of our atom where our nucleus is so ultimately electrons negatively charged align the outside of our nucleus. So based on what we have described, going back to our answer, choices, the way that Rutherford's Gold foil experiment contributed to the development of the atomic model. We would rule out choice A. Since the plum putting model preceded our Gold foil experiment, we would rule out also choice B or sorry choice D because Rutherford's gold foil experiment did not suggest that we have negative particles at the center of an atom. So D is rolled out, we can also rule out choice C because it says that the positive charge of an atom is spread evenly throughout its structure. And based on Rutherford's gold foil experiment, since we only had a few of our positively charged alpha particles deflect from the foil, that suggested that we just have a very small and dense positively charged region within our atoms of gold making up the foil. So C is ruled out and that leaves us with choice B which states that it provided evidence for the existence of a small dense positively charged nucleus at the center of the atom, which is again how Rutherford's gold foil experiment contributed to the development of our atomic model. So B is our final answer. I hope this made sense and let us know if you have any questions.

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Use Rutherford's gold-foil experiment to answer each of the following: (4.3)c. How did he use the results to propose a model of the atom?

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