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AP Chemistry Exam Prep

Category - AP Chemistry

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Why is Rutherford’s gold foil experiment significant?
  1. It led to the discovery of the electron
  2. It led to the discovery of the nucleus
  3. It led to the discovery of the proton
  4. It led to the discovery of the neutron
  5. It led to the discovery of orbitals
Explanation
Answer: It led to the discovery of the nucleus

In his gold foil experiment, Rutherford directed radioactive particles at a sheet of gold foil. He expected all the particles to travel straight through the sheet, but instead found that a few particles were deflected at wide angles. Rutherford’s only explanation was that the atoms of the foil had to contain a small but dense ball of mass, leading to the discovery of the nucleus.
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