Who is credited with discovering the atomic nucleus as a result of the Rutherford gold foil experiment?

• A. J.J. Thomson
• B. Ernest Rutherford
• C. Niels Bohr
• D. Marie Curie

Answer: (B)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Understand the context of the question: It asks about the scientist credited with discovering the atomic nucleus through the gold foil experiment.
2. Recall the historical experiments related to atomic structure: J.J. Thomson discovered the electron using the cathode ray tube, Niels Bohr developed the Bohr model of the atom, and Marie Curie is known for her work on radioactivity.
3. Focus on the gold foil experiment: This experiment involved firing alpha particles at a thin sheet of gold foil and observing their scattering patterns.
4. Recognize that the gold foil experiment led to the conclusion that atoms have a small, dense, positively charged center called the nucleus.
5. Identify Ernest Rutherford as the scientist who conducted the gold foil experiment and proposed the nuclear model of the atom, thus discovering the atomic nucleus.