The New Zealand physicist Lord Rutherford and his colleagues in England demonstrated the existence of the very small but massive nucleus inside every atom in which crucial experiment?
A) deflection and occasional reflection backward of energetic nuclear particles in a beam aimed at a thin metal sheet
B) measurement of the spectrum of light emitted from a thin, heated metal sheet
C) detection of the motion of electrons around the nucleus by the use of a very powerful microscope
D) emission of electrons from a metal surface illuminated with UV light

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The correct answer is A because Lord Rutherford's gold foil experiment involved the deflection and occasional reflection backward of alpha particles when they were directed at a thin sheet of gold. This observation led to the conclusion that atoms have a small, dense nucleus, fundamentally changing the understanding of atomic structure.

The New Zealand Physicist Lord Rutherford and His Colleagues in England