Question

How would the gold foil experiment have changed if electrons were used in place of alpha particles, assuming that the electrons hit the gold foil with the same force as the alpha particles?

a) The electrons would be less deflected than alpha particles.

b) The electrons would be more deflected than alpha particles.

c) The electrons would pass through the gold foil without deflection.

d) The electrons would ionize the gold atoms.

Answer 1

If electrons were used instead of alpha particles in the gold foil experiment, they would be less deflected due to their smaller mass and negative charge.

Step-by-step explanation:

If electrons were used in place of alpha particles in the gold foil experiment, assuming that the electrons hit the gold foil with the same force as the alpha particles, the electrons would be less deflected than alpha particles. This is because electrons are much less massive than alpha particles. The deflection of the alpha particles in the original experiment was due to their positive charge and interaction with the positively charged gold atoms. Since electrons are negatively charged, they would not experience the same strong repulsive forces and would therefore be less deflected.