Chemistry / Unit 2 Chem 0202 short lesson, about 20 seconds
The Nuclear Model of the Atom
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The idea
Rutherford's nuclear model places a small, dense, positively charged nucleus at an atom's center, surrounded by mostly empty space holding the electrons.
In practice
Scaling a nucleus to the size of a blueberry would scale the whole atom to roughly the size of a football stadium.
Where people slip
"Mostly empty" does not mean unstable; the nucleus's concentrated mass and charge govern how the atom behaves chemically.
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