^Nucleus of an atom

^Nucleus of an atom

Large angle scattering of α-particles by thin metal foils in Rutherford’s experiment revealed

1. Nuclear size is found to be of the order of 10^–14 m whereas the diameter of an atom is of the order of 10^–10 Hence most of the atom is empty or nucleus of an atom is a very tiny central region.

2. Charge of a nucleus of atomic number Z = +

3. More than 99.9% of the mass of an atom is concentrated in the nucleus.