Foundation
Chemistry Foundation
Rutherford Model of an Atom
Question
When alpha particles are sent through a gold foil most of them go straight through the foil. The reason is:
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Solution
This describes Rutherford's gold foil experiment. Most alpha particles passed through undeflected because atoms are mostly empty space. The nucleus is tiny and dense, so most particles miss it. Deflections occurred only when particles approached the nucleus directly.
Key concept:
Final answer: most part of the atom is empty.