12.2 - ALPHA PARTICLE SCATTERING AND RUTHERFORD'S NUCLEAR MODEL OF THE ATOM
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Practice Questions
Test your understanding with targeted questions
What is an alpha particle?
💡 Hint: Think about its composition from helium.
What did Rutherford's gold foil experiment demonstrate?
💡 Hint: Recall the surprising results from the experiment.
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Interactive Quizzes
Quick quizzes to reinforce your learning
What did Rutherford's experiment discover about the atom?
💡 Hint: Recall the main outcome of the gold foil experiment.
True or False: Only 0.14% of alpha particles were scattered at angles greater than 1 degree.
💡 Hint: Think about the scattering data shown.
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Challenge Problems
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If Rutherford had directed an alpha particle beam at a solid piece of hydrogen instead of gold, what would you expect to happen, and why?
💡 Hint: Consider the atomic structure of hydrogen versus gold.
Calculate the effective size difference between the nucleus and the atom if the nucleus is ~10^-15 m and the atom is ~10^-10 m.
💡 Hint: Think about the ratio of their sizes.
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