The Gold Foil Experiment

Ernest Rutherford 1911

Rutherford's Students

Hans Geiger

Ernest Marsden

In 1911 Ernest Rutherford with the help of Geiger and Marsden conducted the Gold Foil Experiment. In the gold foil experiment Alpha Particles (a form of radiation) were shot at a thin piece of gold foil. The aim of this experiment was to support or disprove the Plum Pudding Model. Alpha Particles were known to be much larger than Thomson and Millikan had shown the electron to be. Rutherford hypothesized that if the Plum Pudding model was correct the Alpha particles should travel straight through the foil. Rutherford observed the expected results, however he also saw something very unexpected. In the simulation below you will perform an experiment similar to the Gold Foil.

Instructions

1. At the bottom of the diagram to the left, un-click show field generated by positive charges.

2. Click "Shoot alpha particles" and observe for 20+ seconds.

3. Click "Stop" then "Reset". Move the white circle under "Set Spread of Positive Charges" 1/4 of the way to the left.

4. Repeat step 2.

5. Repeat steps 3 and 4 with the slider 1/2, 3/4, and all the way to the left.

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