What was deduced or observed in the Rutherford scattering experiment?
A - AQA - A-Level Physics - Question 25 - 2022 - Paper 2
Question 25
What was deduced or observed in the Rutherford scattering experiment?
A. All gold atoms are not alike.
B. Alpha particles are helium nuclei.
C. Some particles wer... show full transcript
Worked Solution & Example Answer:What was deduced or observed in the Rutherford scattering experiment?
A - AQA - A-Level Physics - Question 25 - 2022 - Paper 2
Step 1
A. All gold atoms are not alike.
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Answer
This statement is not supported by the Rutherford scattering experiment. The experiment suggested uniformity in gold atoms.
Step 2
B. Alpha particles are helium nuclei.
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While it is known that alpha particles are indeed helium nuclei, this observation is not the primary conclusion from the Rutherford experiment.
Step 3
C. Some particles were deflected through angles greater than 90°.
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This is a crucial observation. Rutherford found that a small fraction of alpha particles were deflected at large angles, indicating a dense positive nucleus in the atom.
Step 4
D. The motion of most alpha particles was reversed.
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Answer
This statement is misleading. While some alpha particles experienced significant deflection, they were not reversed; rather, they were scattered.
