Who developed the gold foil experiment that led to the discovery of the atomic nucleus?

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

Answer: (D)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Understand that the gold foil experiment was a key historical experiment in atomic theory that led to the discovery of the atomic nucleus.
2. Recall that J.J. Thomson is known for the discovery of the electron and the plum pudding model, not the gold foil experiment.
3. Recognize that Marie Curie is famous for her work on radioactivity, but she did not conduct the gold foil experiment.
4. Know that Niels Bohr developed the Bohr model of the atom, which describes electron orbits, but he did not perform the gold foil experiment.
5. Identify Ernest Rutherford as the scientist who conducted the gold foil experiment, which demonstrated that atoms have a small, dense, positively charged nucleus.