Question

Rutherford proposed that atoms have positive nuclei. Which statement correctly describes the nucleus of an atom?
A.)Most of the volume of an atom is taken up by the nucleus.

B.)The nucleus contains the protons and electrons.

C.)The charge on the nucleus determines the charge of the atom.

D.)Most of the mass of an atom is located in the nucleus.

Answer 1

I'm not 100% sure but I'm leaning towards D. :)

Answer 2

Answer:

D.)Most of the mass of an atom is located in the nucleus.

Explanation:

Rutherford conducted his famous gold foil experiment which refined our understanding of the structure of an atom. Through the experiment he observed that when positively charged alpha particles were bombarded against a thin gold foil, majority of them passed through the foil undisturbed whereas a small percentage retraced their path.

There were two main conclusions:

-Since most alpha particles simply passed through undeviated this suggested that majority of the space inside the atom is empty

- Also, since some of them completely bounced back this suggested that there is a positively charged core in which the mass of the nucleus is concentrated.