Physics 30 – Ch 15.

3 – The Rutherford (planetary) model of the atom Notes pg 201

Electrostatics and Electrodynamics Review

–14 –27
Ex) A proton (+1e) and an iron nucleus (+26e) are 3.0 × 10 m apart. Massproton = 1.67 × 10 kg.
Calculate the magnitude of the electrostatic Calculate the magnitude of the electric potential
force of repulsion between them. energy of the proton.

p+ Fe+26
kq1q2 kq1q2
Fe = 2
Ep =
r r
−19 −19
k (1·1.60  10 C)(26·1.60 10 C)
−19 −19 Ep =
k (1·1.60 10 C)(26·1.60 10 C) –14
(3.0  10 m)
Fe = –14 2
(3.0  10 m) −13
E p = 1.99  10 J
Fe = 6.65 N, [repulsive]

Calculate the maximum kinetic energy Calculate the speed of the proton at
gained by the proton as it moves away this location, after it has moved away
from the iron nucleus. from the iron nucleus.

E p → Ek 2 Ek
v=
−13 m
Ek = 1.99  10 J
−13
2(1.99  10 J)
= −
1.67  10 kg

= 1.55  10
7 m
s

Ex) An alpha particle (+2e) is placed at rest next to a positively charged plate. The alpha particle passes
through 12 Volts of potential difference before striking the negatively charged plate.

Calculate the kinetic energy gained by Calculate the potential energy that the alpha
the alpha particle as it reaches the particle had when it was placed at the
negatively charged plate. positively charged plate.
A charge passing through a voltage Ek comes from Ep
experiences a change in energy.
−18
E p = 3.84 10 J
E = q ·V
= 2e·12 volts
= 24eV
−19
 1.6  10 J
eV
−18
3.84  10 J

201
 7 –27
Ex) An alpha particle is traveling through free space at 2.0 × 10 m/s. Massα = 6.65 × 10 kg.

Calculate the initial kinetic energy of the alpha particle.

1 –27
= (6.65  10 kg)(2.0 10
7 m )2
Ek s
initial 2
–12
= 1.33 10 J

As the alpha particle is travelling, it comes upon a spherical charged mass of +90e.
The alpha particle just reaches the edge of the spherical charged mass, as it comes to rest.

How much potential energy did the alpha particle gain,

as it reached the edge of the larger positive charge?
Ek → E p
–12
E p = 1.33  10 J

Calculate the distance between the centres of the charged spheres, where

kq1q2
Ep =
r
−19 −19
–12 k(2·1.60  10 C)(90·1.60  10 C)
1.33  10 J=
r
−14
r = 3.11  10 m

If we consider the radius of the alpha particle to be relatively small compared to the radius of
the larger positive sphere, then what is the radius of the larger positive sphere?
distance between their centers, r, is equal to the radius of the larger circle
−14
r = 3.11  10 m

Earnest Rutherford created a model of the atom based upon these calculations, where-by the nucleus of
an atom is like a tiny charged sphere, occupying a relatively tiny volume within the entire atom, itself.

201A
Backing up through history…

John Dalton believed that elements were

oxygen gold copper
indivisible, like billiard balls.

Mendeleev created a table of these elements based upon their chemical properties.

J.J. Thomson believed that all elements contained identical electrons,

these were contained within a “plum pudding” type of positive glue.
He published his findings in 1897, and was awarded the Nobel Prize
in Physics for this work in the electrical conductivity of gases in
1906. It wasn’t long after this, however, that a problem with his
atomic model was realized.

Ernest Rutherford (1871–1937), a scientist from New Zealand, was

fascinated by radioactivity. By 1909, he had shown that some radioactive
elements, such as radium and thorium, emitted positively charged helium
ions, which are often called alpha (α) particles. This was in contrast to
Thomson’s experiments where negatively charged particles were emitted
from matter. He began to run a series of experiments where he directed this
positively charged particles at thin metal foils to see what would happen, and
to re–examine J.J. Thomson’s model.

Rutherford observed that a beam of these positive particles spread out somewhat when passing through a
thin foil sheet of metal. He had two assistants, Hans Geiger and Ernest Marsden, measure the proportion
of alpha particles scattered at different angles from various materials.

Rutherford reasoned that if Thomson's model was correct then the mass
of the atom was spread out evenly throughout the atom. Thus, if he shot
high energy alpha particles at atoms then there these should go straight
through thin foil like a hot bullet through soft butter.

Rutherford’s experimental setup

Rutherford took an alpha–emitting radium source,

placed it in a block with a fine hole, so the emitted
alpha particles were focused into a small beam like a
laser beam. He fired these perpendicular to an ultra–
thin slice of gold foil. The alpha particles that passed
through the foil would hit a zinc sulfide screen that
surrounded the experiment 360°, and would light–up
the screen.

What was discovered, was that instead of the alpha particles passing
through undeflected, with a uniform volume of positively charged mass,
they behaved more like tiny dense billiard balls surrounded by a
disperse cloud of negative charged particles. Thus a new atomic
understanding emerged.

201B
A new model of the atom is born

• Most of the mass of an atom is concentrated in the nucleus of the atom.

• The nucleus must be very small compared to the rest of the atom.
• The rest of the atom must be mostly empty space.
• The nucleus must hold a large positive charge.

By 1911 two of the sub–components of the atom had been discovered; protons
and electrons. While Thomson’s model was not clear how the charged masses
were arranged within the atom, Rutherford’s model was pretty clear that most
of the volume of an atom is empty space, and most of the mass of an atom is
located centrally in an extremely dense core, the nucleus.

Rutherford did not know the location of the electrons within an atom, so he proposed an arrangement like
our own solar system, where electrons orbit the nucleus like planets orbit the sun.

The Rutherford / Geiger / Marsden experiments indicated that only 1 in 8000

of the alpha particles travelled through the foil with a deflection of a degree or
more. Thus, most of the alpha particles missed the positive charges completely.

Rutherford’s team then tried scattering alpha particles through other metals
foils. Using data from these scattering experiments, Rutherford showed that the
positive charge and most of the mass of an atom are contained in a volume of
1
about the volume of the entire atom.
100 000
Rutherford’s model was imperfect, and was soon proven as incomplete, but it did help ascertain that atoms
had more constituent particles than electrons and helped advance the science of the atom.

The Planetary Model

Alpha particles, α, denoted by the first letter in the Greek alphabet, consist of two protons and two neutrons
bound together into a particle identical to a helium nucleus. The alpha particle has a nucleus consisting of
2 protons and 2 neutrons, and no electrons around it.

4
Chemical Symbols for Alpha Particles: α or 2 or He2+

In chemistry and physics, the atomic number (also known as the proton
number) is the number of protons found in the nucleus of an atom and
therefore identical to the charge number of the nucleus. It is conventionally
represented by the symbol Z. The atomic number uniquely identifies a
chemical element. In an atom of neutral charge, the atomic number is also
equal to the number of electrons.

For gold, the top number, 79, is the number of protons in its nucleus. The
bottom number, 196.97, is the atomic weight of the average gold nucleus,
accounting for various isotopes with different numbers of neutrons. A
neutron has nearly identical mass to the proton, so the most abundant gold
nucleus has 118 neutrons, (197 mass number – 79 atomic number).

202
Geiger and Marsden conducted experiments to reliably determine the initial kinetic energy of the positively
–12
charged alpha particles, typically 1.6 × 10 J. Then, as a positive charge approaches another positive
charge, it loses speed due to the force of repulsion, and the kinetic energy of motion becomes electric
potential energy.

Radium emits an alpha particle with Ek Kinetic energy converts to electric potential energy
initial
–12
EK = 1.6 × 10 J gold nucleus (79 protons)
EP = 0 J EK decreases EK = 0 J
–12
EP increases EP = 1.6 × 10 J
++ +
++ ++ +++++

1 kq q
mv  E P = 1 2
2
Converting kinetic energy to electric potential energy: Ek =
2 r

Ex) In a scattering experiment, some alpha particles are scattered straight back from a sheet of gold foil.
Each of these particles had an initial kinetic energy of 1.6 × 10–12 J. Determine the closest distance
between these two nuclei, r, when all the kinetic energy has been converted to potential energy.

kq1q2
Ek 
r
–12 k (2e)(79e) –19
1.6 10 J= where e = 1.60  10 C
r
–14
r = 2.3 10 m

Rutherford took this distance, r, to be the closest distance that two nuclei could be together as the radius
–14
of the nucleus, and found it to be approximately 10 m.

Ex) If an alpha particle was fired at a cadmium (Z = 48) nucleus, and at its closest distance was
−15
6.0  10 m, then what initial kinetic energy did the alpha particle possess? Given that the mass of
–27
an alpha particle is 6.65 × 10 kg, with what speed was the alpha particle initially moving?

k (2 e)(48 e) 2 Ek
Ep = −15 v=
6.0  10 m m
−14 −14
E p = 3.6  10 J 2(3.6  10 J)
= −27
6.65  10 kg
E p came from Ek
= 3.3  10
6 m
s

Assignment: Text pg 769: 1, 2 pg 770: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7

note: pg 769 question 2 has a wrong answer; should be 1.1×10–14 m.
203