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An alpha particle (a : = two protons, two neutrons) moves into a stationary gold atom (Au = 79 protons, 118 neutrons), passing through the electron region that surrounds the gold nucleus like a shell and headed directly toward the nucleus (see below). The alpha particle slows until it momentarily stops when its center is at radial distance r = 9.23 fm from the nuclear center. Then it moves back along its incoming path. (Because the gold nucleus is much more massive than the alpha particle, we can assume the gold nucleus does not move.) What was the kinetic energy K; of the alpha particle when it was initially far away (hence external to the gold atom)? Assume that the only force acting between the alpha particle and the gold nucleus is the (electrostatic) Coulomb force and treat each as a single charged particle.

An alpha particle (a : = two protons, two neutrons) moves into a stationary gold atom (Au = 79 protons, 118 neutrons), passing through the electron region that surrounds the gold nucleus like a shell and headed directly toward the nucleus (see below). The alpha particle slows until it momentarily stops when its center is at radial distance r = 9.23 fm from the nuclear center. Then it moves back along its incoming path. (Because the gold nucleus is much more massive than the alpha particle, we can assume the gold nucleus does not move.) What was the kinetic energy K; of the alpha particle when it was initially far away (hence external to the gold atom)? Assume that the only force acting between the alpha particle and the gold nucleus is the (electrostatic) Coulomb force and treat each as a single charged particle.

Inquiry into Physics
Inquiry into Physics
8th Edition
ISBN:9781337515863
Author:Ostdiek
Publisher:Ostdiek
Chapter12: Relativity, Particle Physics, And Cosmology
Section: Chapter Questions
Problem 8C
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Alpha particle Gold nucleus
Transcribed Image Text:Alpha particle Gold nucleus
An alpha particle (a two protons, two neutrons) moves into a stationary gold atom (Au = 79 protons, 118 neutrons), passing through the electron region that surrounds the gold nucleus like a shell and headed directly toward the nucleus (see below). The alpha particle slows until it momentarily stops when its center is at radial distance r from the nuclear center. Then it moves back along its incoming path. (Because the gold nucleus is much more massive than the alpha particle, we can assume the gold nucleus does not move.) What was the kinetic energy K; of the alpha particle when it was initially far away (hence external to the gold atom)? Assume that the only force acting between the alpha particle and the gold nucleus is the (electrostatic) Coulomb force and treat each as a single charged particle. 9.23 fm It was actually experiments like this, performed between 1908 and 1913 by Hans Geiger and Ernest Marsden, under the direction of Ernest Rutherford at the Physical Laborato- ries of the University of Manchester in England, that formed the basis of the discovery of the atomic nucleus. Rutherford, who would go on to win the Nobel Prize in Chemistry, recounted later: “It was quite the most incredible event that has ever happened to me in my life. It was almost as incredible as if you fired a 15-inch shell at a piece of tissue paper and it came back and hit you.’
Transcribed Image Text:An alpha particle (a two protons, two neutrons) moves into a stationary gold atom (Au = 79 protons, 118 neutrons), passing through the electron region that surrounds the gold nucleus like a shell and headed directly toward the nucleus (see below). The alpha particle slows until it momentarily stops when its center is at radial distance r from the nuclear center. Then it moves back along its incoming path. (Because the gold nucleus is much more massive than the alpha particle, we can assume the gold nucleus does not move.) What was the kinetic energy K; of the alpha particle when it was initially far away (hence external to the gold atom)? Assume that the only force acting between the alpha particle and the gold nucleus is the (electrostatic) Coulomb force and treat each as a single charged particle. 9.23 fm It was actually experiments like this, performed between 1908 and 1913 by Hans Geiger and Ernest Marsden, under the direction of Ernest Rutherford at the Physical Laborato- ries of the University of Manchester in England, that formed the basis of the discovery of the atomic nucleus. Rutherford, who would go on to win the Nobel Prize in Chemistry, recounted later: “It was quite the most incredible event that has ever happened to me in my life. It was almost as incredible as if you fired a 15-inch shell at a piece of tissue paper and it came back and hit you.’
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