What Did Rutherford Do To Contribute To The Atomic Theory…?
The main fact Rutherford found was that the nucleus of the atom contains most of its mass, and the electrons are orbiting it. He assumed the electrons swarm around it in no particular structure. He did this by firing alpha particles at gold foil, and measured the deflection of the particles. Very few deflected from straight line paths, almost as if there was nothing in their path. He deduced that the nucleus must be extremely small, and that most of the atom is made up of empty space. He was also the first to split the atom. He bombarded nitrogen with alpha particles, forming protons and oxygen atoms.
