Ernest Rutherford expected that the particles would pass through the foil undisturbed. This expectation was based on the prevailing plum pudding model of the atom, which suggested that positive charge was spread out throughout the atom, and thus most of the alpha particles would pass through with little or no interaction. However, his actual experimental results revealed that while most particles did pass through, some were deflected at sharp angles, leading to the conclusion that atoms have a small, dense nucleus, fundamentally changing the understanding of atomic structure.
What did Ernest Rutherford expect to happen when he aimed a beam of particles at a thin gold foil?
The particles would deflect at sharp angles or completely back toward the emitter.
The particles would pass through the foil undisturbed.
The particles would deflect at right angles after hitting the foil.
The particles would be deflected slightly after passing through the foil.
1 answer