Questions: What important discovery did Ernest Rutherford find about the atom in his gold foil experiment? Rutherford discovered protons and neutrons during the gold foil experiment Rutherford discovered the nucleus during the gold foil experiment Rutherford discovered electrons during the gold foil experiment Rutherford discovered neutrons during the gold foil experiment

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Ernest Rutherford's gold foil experiment was a pivotal moment in the understanding of atomic structure. In this experiment, Rutherford and his team directed a beam of alpha particles at a thin sheet of gold foil. They observed the scattering pattern of these particles.

Most of the alpha particles passed through the foil with little to no deflection, but a small fraction were deflected at large angles. This was unexpected based on the then-accepted plum pudding model of the atom, which suggested that positive charge was spread out evenly throughout the atom.

Rutherford concluded that the atom must have a small, dense, positively charged center that caused the deflection of the alpha particles. This center was later termed the nucleus. This discovery led to the nuclear model of the atom, where electrons orbit a central nucleus.

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