Chemistry / Unit 2 Chem 0199 short lesson, about 20 seconds
Rutherford's Gold Foil Experiment (1911)
Captions available
The idea
Rutherford, with Geiger and Marsden, fired alpha particles at gold foil; most passed through, a few bounced back, leading him to propose the nuclear model in 1911.
In practice
The rare, sharp deflections meant the particles struck something small, dense, and positively charged, hidden in mostly empty space.
Where people slip
Rutherford expected no deflection under the "plum pudding" model; the rare bounce forced a new model.
Your place on the trail
Every lesson rests on earlier ones and opens later ones. Tap any to jump.
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