Explain why did Rutherford select a gold foil in his alpha scattering experiment

CBSE Class 9
1

Explain why did Rutherford select a gold foil in his alpha scattering experiment.

2
  • Rutherford used gold for his scattering experiment because gold is the most malleable metal and he wanted the thinnest layer as possible.
  • The gold sheet used was around 1000 atoms thick.
  • Therefore, Rutherford selected a Gold foil in his alpha scatttering experiment.