By Bijesh Patel

Alpha-Particle Scattering
Experiment
Model of an Atom
 The Rutherford Experiment also called the (Alpha
Particle Scattering Experiment or Geiger- Marsden
Experiment), was an experiment to inquire about the
model of an atom, which at the time in the early 1900’s,
was a hot topic amongst physicists.
 The experiment took place in 1909, and was performed
by Hans Geiger and Ernest Marsden, at Manchester
University, under the guidance of Ernest Ruthford. The
experiment led to the discovery of the nucleus.
Model of an Atom..
 Pre 1909, the plum pudding, was the model for the
atom. It was firstly proposed by JJ Thomson in 1897,
who discovered the electron. He concluded that atoms
consisted of plum like negatively- charged electrons,
that were surrounded by a positive charged pudding,
hence the Plum Pudding Model.
 However after the Alpha Particle Scattering Experiment,
the Rutherford Model was considered to be the correct
model of the atom.
Alpha Scattering Experiment Diagram
Procedure of the Experiment.
 A beam of alpha particles, sourcing from a lead box
where directed onto a sheet of very thin gold foil. The
gold foil was surrounded by detector screens, coated
with Zinc Sulphide, which lit up whenever particles hit
the screen.
 Majority of the particles (99%), passed through the foil.
 Some alpha particles were deflected through small
angles.
 A very tiny number of particles rebounded off the gold
foil.
Conclusions from the experiment

 As most of the alpha particles passed through the gold

foil without any deflection, most of the volume in the
atoms is empty space.
 As some alpha particles were deflected by large angles,
they must have approached a positively charged region,
known as the nucleus.
 Since alpha particles, are comparatively denser, were
deflected by the nucleus. The nucleus holds almost
complete mass of the atom.