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Rutherford Experiment
The equipment used
10
Physics
10th Grade
11/10/2006

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Term
What did the equipment look like?
Definition
[image]
A drum on a stand.
Term
What was the viewing screen coated in (and why)?
Definition
Zinc suphide because it flouresces (gives out a flash of light) when an alpha particle hits it.
Term
What could be moved round?
Definition
The telescopic eyepiece with the zinc sulphide screen coated onto it.
Term
Why was the inside of the drum-like chamber maintained as a vacuum?
Definition
If air had been in the chamber the alpha particles would have been absorbed by it even before they hit the gold foil. Alpha particles have a very low penetrating power.
Term
Why was gold chosen as the target?
Definition
Gold leaf is a very thin gold foil. It is only a couple of atoms thick. Therefore it was possible to investigate how atoms affected 'missiles' fired at them by using such a foil. Not all metals can be made into such a fine foil.
Term
Why was gold chosen as the target?
Definition
Gold leaf is a very thin gold foil. It is only a couple of atoms thick. Therefore it was possible to investigate how atoms affected 'missiles' fired at them by using such a foil. Not all metals can be made into such a fine foil.
Term
What is an alpha particle?
Definition
[image] - it is a helium nucleus - made up of two protons and two neutrons. It therefore has a double positive charge and a mass of 4 atomic mass units (about 8000 times the mass of an electron).
Term
Where did Geiger and Marsden get their alpha particles from?
Definition
A source of Radium held in a thin walled 1-mm diameter glass tube. Radium is a natural source of alpha particles.
Term
How did they measure the angle of deflection of the alpha particles?
Definition
The telescope was mounted on a turntable that had a vernier scale marked onto it. They could read off the angle they had turned - count scintillations (flashes of light) for a set time and then turn to another angle and so on.
Term
Here is an animation of what happens... it is very good from http://regentsprep.org/Regents/
physics/phys05/catomodel/ruther.htm
Definition
[image] Here is an animation of what happens... it is very good from http://regentsprep.org/Regents/ physics/phys05/catomodel/ruther.htm
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