gold foil

The gold foil experiment was a scientific test conducted by Ernest Rutherford in 1909 to understand the structure of an atom. He bombarded a very thin sheet of gold with tiny particles called alpha particles. Most passed through, but some bounced back or deflected. This unexpected result led to the discovery that an atom has a tiny, dense nucleus made of positively charged particles, with electrons surrounding it. The experiment revolutionized atomic theory by revealing the atom's internal structure, showing that most of its mass is concentrated in the nucleus rather than being evenly spread out.