Which major conclusion was drawn from the gold foil experiment performed in Rutherford's lab?

• A. Protons and neutrons are located in the electron cloud.
• B. Electrons are uniformly distributed throughout the atom.
• C. Atoms are composed entirely of empty space.
• D. Atoms have a small, dense, positively charged nucleus.

Answer: (D)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Recall the setup of the gold foil experiment: alpha particles were directed at a very thin sheet of gold foil to observe their scattering patterns.
2. Understand the expected outcome based on the plum pudding model, which predicted that alpha particles would pass through with minimal deflection because positive charge was thought to be spread out evenly.
3. Analyze the actual observations: most alpha particles passed through the foil, but some were deflected at large angles, and a few even bounced back.
4. Interpret these results to conclude that the atom must have a small, dense, positively charged center (nucleus) that repelled the positively charged alpha particles, while most of the atom is empty space allowing most particles to pass through.
5. Summarize the major conclusion: the atom is mostly empty space with a tiny, dense nucleus containing positive charge, disproving the plum pudding model.