Question

How was Rutherford’s gold foil experiment inconsistent with the plum pudding model of the atom?

A.
The model could not explain how alpha particles could be deflected at large angles.
B.
The model could not explain how alpha particles could penetrate the atoms.
C.
The model could not explain why the electrons in the atom would be evenly spaced.
D.
The model could not explain why alpha particles passed through the nucleus without any deflection.

Answer 1

Rutherford's experiment showed that the plum pudding model was incorrect because it couldn't explain the large deflections of alpha particles, which instead indicated a small, dense, positively-charged nucleus within the atom. The correct choice will be A. The model could not explain how alpha particles could be deflected at large angles.

Step-by-step explanation:

Rutherford's gold foil experiment was inconsistent with the plum pudding model of the atom because the model could not explain how alpha particles could be deflected at large angles. In the plum pudding model, atoms were believed to have their mass and charge distributed uniformly, which would result in alpha particles passing through the gold foil with minimal deflection.

However, Rutherford observed that a small percentage of the alpha particles were deflected at large angles, and some even bounced straight back, indicating the presence of a very small, dense, positively-charged nucleus at the center of the atom, which repelled the positively charged alpha particles.