Rutherford model

The Rutherford model describes the atom as having a tiny, dense nucleus at its center, made of positively charged protons, with electrons orbiting around it like planets around the sun. This idea came from experiments where alpha particles were fired at a thin gold foil; some particles bounced back, indicating a small, central core. The model shifted the view from earlier ideas of a uniformly spread positive charge, highlighting instead a nucleus that contains most of the atom's mass and positive charge, with electrons occupying the surrounding space. It laid the foundation for modern atomic physics.