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Rutherford realized that the "plum pudding model" of the atom must not be correct because

A) Electrons are heavier than protons.
B) Atoms are indivisible.
C) Atoms are mostly empty space with a small, dense nucleus.
D) Atoms are made up of only one type of particle.

User Petke
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Final answer:

Rutherford rejected the "plum pudding model" because his experiments showed atoms are mostly empty space with a tiny, dense nucleus, leading to the nuclear model of the atom where electrons orbit a central nucleus.

Step-by-step explanation:

Rutherford realized that the "plum pudding model" of the atom must not be correct because C) Atoms are mostly empty space with a small, dense nucleus. This conclusion was drawn from Rutherford's gold foil experiment which showed that while most alpha particles passed through the gold foil with little to no deflection, a small fraction was deflected at large angles. These results indicated that the positive charge and most of the atom's mass were concentrated in a tiny central core, not evenly distributed throughout the atom as the plum pudding model suggested. Rutherford's findings led to a new model, where the atom was seen much like a mini solar system with a central nucleus made of protons and neutrons, surrounded by orbiting electrons.

Rutherford's discovery dismantled the plum pudding model proposed by his mentor J. J. Thomson, which depicted the atom as a sphere of positive charge with electrons scattered within, resembling plums in a pudding. Instead, he proposed that an atom consists of a nucleus surrounded by orbiting electrons, shifting the scientific community's understanding of atomic structure towards what is now known as the Rutherford or nuclear model of the atom.

User Cangosta
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