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Conservation of Energy

Rutherford observed alpha particles scattering off a gold foil and drew several conclusions: 1) Most alpha particles passed through the foil, but some were deflected or bounced back, disproving the plum pudding model of atoms. 2) The positive charge of atoms must be localized in a tiny nucleus, explaining occasional large deflections. 3) Atoms are mostly empty space, since most alpha particles passed through. Rutherford was left with additional questions about the role of electrons and how they avoid collapsing into the nucleus due to opposite charges.

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281 views

Conservation of Energy

Rutherford observed alpha particles scattering off a gold foil and drew several conclusions: 1) Most alpha particles passed through the foil, but some were deflected or bounced back, disproving the plum pudding model of atoms. 2) The positive charge of atoms must be localized in a tiny nucleus, explaining occasional large deflections. 3) Atoms are mostly empty space, since most alpha particles passed through. Rutherford was left with additional questions about the role of electrons and how they avoid collapsing into the nucleus due to opposite charges.

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Alqahtani Faris

M2: Lab Activity


Rutherford scattering

Instructions

1/. Pretend you are Dr. Rutherford and you are watching this experiment for the first time.
What are your initial thoughts on what you are seeing?

Most alpha particles were observed to pass straight through the gold foil. Some alpha
particles were deflected slightly. Still other alpha particles were scattered at large angles,
while a very few even bounced back toward the source. Which means that the plum pudding
atomic model, based on classical physics in which the electrons were embedded in a
positively charged atom like plums in a pudding isn’t correct, because all of the particles
should have pass straight through the gold foil.

2/. Use the features in the sim to help prove your thoughts. Explain what you changed in the
data table below

Variable Changed Observation Possible Explanation of the


Result
Maximum Energy The particles are moving Einstein’s equation E=m.c^2
faster

Nbr of protons maximum Alpha particles were deflected Interactions with other positively
Nbr of neutrons minimum considerably. charged particles within the atom
None of alpha particles were
observed to pass straight Collision with a gold nucleus
through the gold foil.
Some of the particles bounced Strong repulsion due to positively
back toward the source. charged and relatively heavy target
particle.
Nbr of protons minimum alpha particles were observed The atom is composed of large
Nbr of neutrons maximum to pass straight through the amounts of open space
gold foil
None of the particles bounced
back toward the source.
3/. What do think an alpha particle is? Be sure to explain your thinking

An alpha particle is a fast moving packet containing two protons and two neutrons (a
helium nucleus). Alpha particles carry a charge of +2 and strongly interact with matter.
Produced during alpha decay, alpha particles can travel only a few inches through air and
can be easily stopped with a sheet of paper.

4/. Pretend you are Dr. Rutherford again. What conclusions would you make about what you
saw after changing the variables? What additional questions do you still have?

The first conclusion is that the positive charge must be localized over a very tiny volume of
the atom, which also contains most of the atom's mass. This explained how a very small
fraction of the α particles were deflected drastically, presumably due to the rare collision
with a gold nucleus.

The second conclusion is that since most of the α particles passed straight through the
gold foil, the atom must be made up of mostly empty space.

Rutherford's experimental results raised further questions. For example, what were the
electrons doing in the atom? And since we have opposite charges How did the electrons
keep themselves from collapsing?

5/. Research why radioactive material is dangerous to living things.

Radiation can be harmful to living creatures. Radiation can harm living things directly by
damaging their cells. The cells might stop functioning, or they might be unable to reproduce.
Radiation can also cause cells to reproduce in an out-of-control fashion, causing cancer.

Radiation can also interfere with the reproduction of living things. It can cause sterility,
making reproduction impossible. It can also cause mutations in offspring, which are usually
detrimental or even fatal.

Animals (including humans) tend to be more susceptible to the harmful effects of radiation
than plants. Some types of microbes are tolerant of high doses of radiation that would easily
kill multicelled organisms.

6/. Research the different models of the atom and explain why the models have changed
over time.

The first model of the atom was developed by JJ Thomson in 1904, who thought that atoms
were composed purely of negatively charged electrons. This model was known as the 'plum
pudding' model.
This theory was then disproved by Ernest Rutherford and the gold foil experiment in 1911,
where Rutherford shot alpha particles at gold foil, and noticed that some went through and
some bounced back, implying the existence of a positive nucleus.

In 1913, Niels Bohr proposed a model of the atom where the electrons were contained
within quantized shells that orbited the nucleus. This was because it was impossible for the
cloud of negative electrons proposed by Rutherford to exist, as the negative electrons would
be drawn to the positive nucleus, and the atom would collapse in on itself.

In 1926, the Austrian physicist Erwin Schrödinger created a quantum mechanical model of
the atom by combining the equations for the behavior of waves with the de Broglie equation
to generate a mathematical model for the distribution of electrons in an atom.

However the model used today is closest to the Bohr model of the atom, using the
quantized shells to contain the electrons.

ALQAHTANI FARIS

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