Rutherford's Gold Foil Experiment: Peering into the Nucleus

Rutherford's experiment involved alpha particles passing through a gold foil to study atomic structure. Most particles passed through with little deflection, indicating atoms are mostly empty space. Some particles deflected at large angles, suggesting a concentrated positive charge at the center, termed the nucleus. A few particles bounced back, confirming the nucleus's rigidity and mass. This experiment refuted Thompson's model and led to the nuclear model of the atom.

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