The Nuclear Atom

• Thomson’s Atom

  • diffuse mass and charge
    

• Rutherford’s Atom

  • concentrated mass and positive charge at the nucleus
  • electrons roam empty space around the nucleus

nucleus

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Prediction based on Rutherford’s nuclear atom:

number of scattered alpha particles is proportional to:

thickness of foil

square of the charge on the nucleus
1/sin4(theta/2)
1/velocity4