Rutherford Gold Foil Experiment

Rutherford Scattering Simulation

A visual model proving that atoms are 99% empty space.

Experiment Controls

Beam Alignment (Y) Center

Shifts the wide beam. Watch how few particles actually hit the dense core!

Alpha Energy (Speed) 5.0 MeV

Nucleus Charge (Force) 79 (Gold)

Show Particle Trails

Total Detected 0

Straight (< 5°) 0

Deflected (> 5°) 0

Backscattered (> 90°) 0

Electron Cloud (Empty Space)

Dense Nucleus Core

Screen Scintillation (Flash)