Question

Suppose you are given a chance to repeat the alpha-particle scattering experiment using a thin sheet of solid hydrogen in place of the gold foil.(Hydrogen is a solid at temperatures below 14 K.) What results do you expect?

Answer 1

In the alpha-particle scattering experiment, if a thin sheet of solid hydrogen is used in place of a gold foil, then the scattering angle would not be large enough. This is because the mass of hydrogen $(1.67×10^{-27}kg)$ is less than the mass of incident $α$-particles $(6.64×10^{-27}kg)$. Thus, the mass of the scattering particle is more than the target nucleus (hydrogen). As a result the α-particles would not bounce back if solid hydrogen is used in the α-particle scattering experiment.