Which model most accurately represents the current view of the structure of the atom?

• A. Quantum mechanical model
• B. Bohr model
• C. Rutherford model
• D. Thomson's plum pudding model

Answer: (A)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Step 1: Understand the historical development of atomic models, starting from Thomson's plum pudding model, which proposed that atoms are composed of electrons scattered within a positively charged 'soup'.
2. Step 2: Recognize that Rutherford's model introduced the concept of a small, dense, positively charged nucleus with electrons orbiting around it, based on gold foil experiment results.
3. Step 3: Note that Bohr's model improved upon Rutherford's by introducing quantized electron orbits, where electrons occupy fixed energy levels without radiating energy.
4. Step 4: Learn that the Quantum Mechanical Model further refines the atomic structure by describing electrons as wavefunctions with probabilities of being found in certain regions (orbitals), rather than fixed paths.
5. Step 5: Conclude that the Quantum Mechanical Model is the most accurate and current representation of atomic structure because it incorporates principles of quantum mechanics and explains atomic behavior more comprehensively than earlier models.