A science student evaluates the data from Ernest Rutherford's alpha particle scattering experiment, in which a thin gold foil was bombarded with positively charged alpha particles. The records indicate that approximately 1 in 8,000 alpha particles was deflected by angles greater than $90^\circ$, while the vast majority passed through the foil with little or no deflection. Based on these findings and Rutherford's atomic model, which deduction logically explains why only a tiny fraction of alpha particles experienced such large deflections?

A) The atom is a continuous sphere of positive charge containing uniformly embedded electrons that collectively repel incoming particles.

B) The negatively charged electrons occupy the entire volume of the atom and strongly repel the positively charged alpha particles upon collision.

C) The positive charge and nearly all the mass of the atom are concentrated in an extremely small central region termed the nucleus.

D) Alpha particles lose kinetic energy steadily through continuous electromagnetic radiation as they travel past the electron orbits.

Rutherford's model Transitional Reasoning Practice

Chemistry · Atomic Structure · Chemistry · Models of the Atom

1 Chemistry practice questions on Rutherford's model. Questions that build towards applied reasoning.

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Atomic Structure · Chemistry

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