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Atomic & Nuclear Physics · Part 1 of 5
6 exam-style questions with model answers, plus 8 quick multi-choice questions — every question on this part of the standard, grouped by the 2 pages of notes they come from.
Write a full answer before you reveal the model one. That comparison is where the learning happens.
Describe Thomson's 'plum pudding' model of the atom.
Explain why Thomson's model predicted that alpha particles fired at a thin gold foil would pass through with only very small deflections.
Discuss how the change from Thomson's model to Rutherford's model shows the way scientific models are developed and replaced, linking this to the evidence available at each stage.
In the gold foil experiment, state what happened to the majority of the alpha particles, and what this shows about the structure of the atom.
Explain why a very thin gold foil, and a vacuum, were both necessary for the experiment to give a clear result.
Using the results of the gold foil experiment, explain fully how the size, charge and mass of the nucleus can each be deduced, and link these deductions to why the alpha particle is a suitable probe for this experiment.