How were scattered alpha particles detected in Rutherford's experiment?

Using a zinc sulfide screen, which produced visible flashes of light when struck by alpha particles

How was the angular distribution of scattered particles measured in Rutherford's experiment?

By using a movable detector that could be positioned at different angles around the gold foil to measure scattering angles

What was observed for the majority of alpha particles fired at the gold foil in Rutherford's experiment?

Most alpha particles passed straight through with little or no deflection

AQA A-Level Physics 7408

Measurements and Their Errors

Topic overview Use of SI units and their prefixes Limitation of physical measurements Estimation of physical quantities

Particles and Radiation

Topic overview Constituents of the atom Stable and unstable nuclei Particles, antiparticles and photons Particle interactions Classification of particles Quarks and antiquarks Applications of conservation laws The photoelectric effect Collisions of electrons with atoms Energy levels and photon emission Wave-particle duality

Waves

Topic overview Progressive waves Longitudinal and transverse waves Principle of superposition of waves and formation of stationary waves Interference Diffraction Refraction at a plane surface

Mechanics and Materials

Topic overview Scalars and vectors Moments Motion along a straight line Projectile motion Newton's laws of motion Momentum Work, energy and power Conservation of energy Bulk properties of solids The Young modulus

Electricity

Topic overview Basics of electricity Current–voltage characteristics Resistivity Circuits Potential divider Electromotive force and internal resistance

Further Mechanics and Thermal Physics

Topic overview Circular motion Simple harmonic motion (SHM)Simple harmonic systems Forced vibrations and resonance Thermal energy transfer Ideal gases Molecular kinetic theory model

Fields and Their Consequences

Topic overview Fields Newton's law Gravitational field strength Gravitational potential Orbits of planets and satellites Coulomb's law Electric field strength Electric potential Capacitance Parallel plate capacitor Energy stored by a capacitor Capacitor charge and discharge Magnetic flux density Moving charges in a magnetic field Magnetic flux and flux linkage Electromagnetic induction Alternating currents Transformers

Nuclear Physics

Topic overview Rutherford scattering α, β and γ radiation Radioactive decay Nuclear instability Nuclear radius Mass and energy Induced fission Safety aspects

AstrophysicsOptional topic

Topic overview Astronomical telescope consisting of two converging lenses Reflecting telescopes Single dish radio telescopes, I-R, U-V and X-ray telescopes Advantages of large diameter telescopes Classification by luminosity Absolute magnitude, M Classification by temperature, black-body radiation Principles of the use of stellar spectral classes The Hertzsprung-Russell (HR) diagram Supernovae, neutron stars and black holes Doppler effect Hubble's law Quasars Detection of exoplanets

Medical PhysicsOptional topic

Engineering PhysicsOptional topic

Topic overview Concept of moment of inertia Rotational kinetic energy Rotational motion Torque and angular acceleration Angular momentum Work and power First law of thermodynamics Non-flow processes The p–V diagram Engine cycles Second Law and engines Reversed heat engines

Turning Points in PhysicsOptional topic

Topic overview Cathode rays Thermionic emission of electrons Specific charge of the electron Principle of Millikan's determination of the electronic charge, e Newton's corpuscular theory of light Significance of Young's double slits experiment Electromagnetic waves The discovery of photoelectricity Wave–particle duality Electron microscopes The Michelson-Morley experiment Einstein's theory of special relativity Time dilation Length contraction Relativistic mass and energy

ElectronicsOptional topic

Topic overview MOSFET (metal-oxide semiconducting field-effect transistor)Zener diode Photodiode Hall effect sensor Difference between analogue and digital signals LC resonance filters The ideal operational amplifier Inverting amplifier configuration Non-inverting amplifier configuration Summing amplifier configuration Real operational amplifiers Combinational logic Sequential logic Astables Principles of communication systems Transmission media Time-division multiplexing Amplitude (AM) and frequency modulation (FM) techniques

Nuclear Physics

Rutherford scattering

4 things to know
Papers 2 and 3

Overview

The alpha scattering experiment, the observations that surprised Rutherford, and the nuclear model.

What you need to know

Answer each one before you reveal it.

Your recallNot started

Process

What were the source, target and detector in Rutherford's scattering experiment?

Numbers

What observations surprised Rutherford, and what did they reveal about the nucleus?

Process

What are the features of the nuclear model, and which model did it replace?

Key term

How was the nuclear model refined after Rutherford's initial proposal regarding positive charge?

Questions from this subtopic

Each one with the model answer underneath.

1
In the Rutherford scattering experiment, what type of radiation was directed at the target material?
Model answer
Alpha particles
2
What material was used as the target in Rutherford's scattering experiment?
Model answer
Thin gold foil
3
How were scattered alpha particles detected in Rutherford's experiment?
Model answer
Using a zinc sulfide screen, which produced visible flashes of light when struck by alpha particles
4
How was the angular distribution of scattered particles measured in Rutherford's experiment?
Model answer
By using a movable detector that could be positioned at different angles around the gold foil to measure scattering angles
5
What was observed for the majority of alpha particles fired at the gold foil in Rutherford's experiment?
Model answer
Most alpha particles passed straight through with little or no deflection
6
What does the observation that most alpha particles pass through gold foil undeflected tell us about atomic structure?
Model answer
Atoms are mostly empty space

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Measurements and Their Errors

Particles and Radiation

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