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Nuclear and particle physics
Quick questions on The nuclear atom: alpha scattering, nuclide notation and nuclear density - Edexcel A-Level Physics
4short Q&A pairs drawn directly from our worked dot-point answer. For full context and worked exam questions, read the parent dot-point page.
What is the alpha-particle scattering experiment?Show answer
The Geiger-Marsden experiment, interpreted by Rutherford, fired alpha particles at a thin gold foil and recorded where they went. Most passed straight through, a small fraction were deflected through large angles, and about one in bounced almost straight back. The "mostly straight through" result shows the atom is largely empty space; the rare large-angle and back-scattering events show that the positive charge and nearly all the mass are concentrated in a tiny central nucleus that strongly repels an incoming positive alpha particle.
What is q1?Show answer
State what the back-scattering of a few alpha particles told Rutherford. [1 mark]
What is q2?Show answer
A nucleus has nucleon number and m. Find its radius. [2 marks]
What is q3?Show answer
Explain why all nuclei have approximately the same density. [2 marks]
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