Rutherford's Gold Foil Experiment
A Grade 12 Chemistry worksheet exploring the Rutherford Gold Foil Experiment, its setup, observations, and implications for atomic structure.
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Rutherford's Gold Foil Experiment
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Read each question carefully and answer to the best of your ability. Show all work where applicable.
1. What was the primary purpose of the gold foil in Rutherford's experiment?
To absorb the alpha particles.
To provide a source of alpha particles.
To serve as a target to observe particle deflection.
To generate an electric field.
2. Which of the following observations contradicted the plum pudding model of the atom?
Most alpha particles passed straight through the foil.
A small fraction of alpha particles were deflected at large angles.
Alpha particles were attracted to the electrons.
The alpha particles lost energy as they passed through the foil.
3. Rutherford's experiment used a source of particles directed at a thin sheet of gold foil.
4. The detection screen, coated with zinc sulfide, would produce a when struck by an alpha particle.
5. The unexpected deflection of some alpha particles led Rutherford to propose the existence of a small, dense, positively charged within the atom.
6. Describe the main components of the experimental setup used by Rutherford and his team.
Refer to the diagram below to answer the following question.
7. True or False: The plum pudding model predicted that all alpha particles would pass straight through the gold foil with no deflection.
True
False
8. Explain how the results of the Rutherford Gold Foil Experiment led to the rejection of the plum pudding model and the development of the nuclear model of the atom. Include specific observations and their interpretations.