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Question
Why did Rutherford select a gold foil in his α–ray scattering experiment?
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Solution
Gold is a heavy metal with high mass number. A light metal cannot be used because on being hit by fast moving α-particles, the atom of light metal will be simply pushed forward and no scattering can occur. Moreover, gold is highly malleable and can be beaten to get very thin foils.
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RELATED QUESTIONS
On the basis of Rutherford’s model of an atom, which subatomic particle is present in the nucleus of an atom?
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