Question

Chemists once believed that an atom was made of negative electrons dispersed inside a positive mass like raisins in pudding. An experiment with radiation and gold foil demonstrated that most of an atom was

made of empty space. After this experiment, they adopted a new model of the atom that showed the electrons orbiting the nucleus of the atom from a distance. Which of the following statements about the new
model is true?
The new model is perfect and will not change.
The new model is a wrong model and will not last.
The new model fits the data worse than the old model.
The new model fits the data better than the old model.

Answer 1

The new model of the atom fits the data better than the old model.

Step-by-step explanation:

The new model of the atom, proposed by Ernest Rutherford, fits the data better than the old model proposed by J.J. Thomson.

Rutherford's experiment with radiation and gold foil showed that most of the atom is empty space and that the positive charge and most of the mass are concentrated in a tiny, dense nucleus at the center of the atom.

Unlike Thomson's plum pudding model, Rutherford's model showed that the electrons orbit the nucleus from a distance, similar to planets orbiting the sun in a solar system.