Demo 25-13 Rutherford Scattering

This graphics demonstration illustrates Rutherford scattering, the scattering of alpha particles by heavy nuclei. This experiment established the atomic model of a very small, dense, positively charged nucleus surrounded by a very spread-out cloud of electrons. The scattering of incoming alpha particles is shown in animation for a variety of impact parameters, and the curve of the average number of scattered alphas as a function of scattering angle is presented in the video