University of Bahrain Dr.

Khalil Ebrahim
Department of Physics February 2023
PHYCS 324
Assignment # 1
Due date is March 5, 2023

Answer the following questions and show all the details of your calculations.

1) (3 points) Thomson worked out many of the calculations for multiple scattering. If we find an
average scattering angle of 1° for alpha-particle scattering, what would be the probability that the
alpha particle could scatter by as much as 80° because of multiple scattering? The probability for
large-angle scattering is:
𝜃 2
𝑃(𝜃) = 𝑒𝑥𝑝 (− ( ) )
〈𝜃〉

Geiger and Marsden found that about 1 in 8000 -particles were deflected past 90°. Can multiple
scattering explain the experimental results of Geiger and Marsden? Explain.

2) Consider the scattering of an alpha particle from the positively charged part of the Thomson Plum
pudding model. Let the kinetic energy of the  particle be K (nonrelativistic) and let the atomic radius
be R.
(a) (4 points) Assuming that the maximum transverse Coulomb force acts on the  particle for a time
t = 2R/ (where  is the initial speed of the  particle), show that the largest scattering angle we can
expect from a single atom is:

2𝑍2 𝑒 2
𝜃=
4𝜋𝜖0 𝐾𝑅

(b) (1 point) Using the derived formula in part a, find the average scattering angle of a 10-MeV 
particle from a gold atom (R  10-10 m) for the positively charged part of the Thomson model.
(c) (2 points) How do the above calculations compare with the scattering from the electrons?

3) A beam of 8.0-MeV -particles scatters from a gold foil of thickness 0.32 m.
(a) (3 points) What fraction of the -particles is scattered between 1.0° and 2.0°?
(b) (2 points) What is the ratio of -particles scattered through angles greater than 1° to the number
scattered through angles greater than 10°? Greater than 90°?