Rutherford Scattering

Rutherford scattering describes how tiny particles, like alpha particles, bounce off a small, dense nucleus, such as an atom’s core. When these particles are fired at a thin foil of material, most pass through or are deflected slightly, but some are bounced back at large angles. This experiment revealed that the atom's mass is concentrated in a small nucleus, with electrons orbiting around it. The pattern of how particles scatter provides insights into the structure of the atom and led to the understanding that atoms have a dense, positively charged center.