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What did Rutherford's results imply about the size of the gold nucleus compared with the size of the whole gold atom?
AThe nucleus is about 100,000 times smaller than the atom
BThe nucleus is roughly the same size as the atom
CThe nucleus is about 10 times smaller than the atom
DThe nucleus is larger than the atom itself
Answer & Solution
Correct answer: A. The nucleus is about 100,000 times smaller than the atom
1. The nucleus was found to have a radius of about 10^-15 m.
2. Atoms typically have a radius of about 10^-10 m, five orders of magnitude larger.
3. That difference in size means the nucleus is about 100,000 times smaller than the whole atom.
4. Saying the two are roughly the same size, or that the nucleus is only 10 times smaller, understates this huge size difference.
5. The nucleus is certainly not larger than the atom that contains it.
6. So a nucleus 100,000 times smaller than the atom is correct.
_Source: OpenStax Physics (CC BY 4.0), Ch 22 "The Atom", section 22.1 The Structure of the Atom_
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