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Fun Fact
Rutherford initially thought the results were 'as if you fired a 15-inch shell at tissue paper and it came back and hit you'!
What is Rutherford’s Scattering Experiment?
Rutherford’s experiment revealed the atom’s nucleus by bombarding gold foil with alpha particles.
🔍 Explore the Parts
1
Gold Foil
Thin sheet of gold atoms bombarded by alpha particles
2
Alpha Particle Source
Emits positively charged helium nuclei
3
Fluorescent Screen
Detects deflected particles
4
Nucleus
Tiny, dense center of the atom
5
Deflection Angles
Shows most particles passed through, but some bounced back