Question

List several conclusions Rutherford made in the experiment that discovered the nucleus.

a) Conclusions: The nucleus is made up of electrons. The atom is solid and indivisible.
b) Conclusions: Electrons are distributed evenly within the nucleus. The nucleus is positively charged.
c) Conclusions: The nucleus is mostly empty space. The atom has a small, dense, positively charged nucleus.
d) Conclusions: Alpha particles are negatively charged. The atom's structure is unknown.

Answer 1

Rutherford discovered that the atom consists of a tiny, dense, positively charged nucleus surrounded by mostly empty space, with this nucleus containing the majority of the atom's mass.

Step-by-step explanation:

Ernest Rutherford's experiment that led to the discovery of the nucleus allowed him to draw several profound conclusions about the structure of the atom. Among the conclusions, the correct one is that the atom has a small, dense, positively charged nucleus, and that most of the atom is empty space. This is because Rutherford observed that most alpha particles passed through the gold foil, indicating that they encountered very little matter, while a few were deflected at large angles, suggesting a very strong, concentrated positive charge that repelled the alpha particles. Therefore, he inferred that the positive charge and most of the mass of the atom must be contained in a tiny central core, the nucleus, which is composed of protons and, though not known to him at the time, neutrons.