Rolling Marbles With Rutherford

The target marbles represent the nuclei of the gold atoms in rutherford s gold foil.

Rolling marbles with rutherford.

By extension this device is a useful analogy to rutherford s alpha scattering experiments and to atomic particle detection utilizing accelerators. Hidden obstacles student version this lab demonstrates the techniques that scientists used over a century ago to determine the basic structure of the atom. By rolling marbles past hidden obstacles and observing their trajectories students will be able to make inferences on the shape and size of the obstacles. They still need to put the 4 images together so i figure it is like an xray.

With the mini rutherford activity students deduce shapes and sizes of unseen objects by tracking the movements of objects they can see in relation to the unseen object. These may pose a safety hazard. Tend to let the kids after they have used the marbles. More than 25 years after conducting the experi.

The following is a google search about the conclusions rutherford made from the gold foil experiment. Rulers meter sticks or rubber tubing may be used as backstops to catch the. Rutherford roller what s underneath. This lesson is meant to be an analogy to rutherford s famous experiment in which he deduced the existence of the atomic nucleus.

Rutherford systematically investigated the results geiger and marsden obtained with alpha particles. A hidden object is located under a sheet of cardboard. Rolling like rutherford lab. Watch out for loose marbles rolling around on the floor in all directions.

Students roll marbles under the cardboard to find the location and the shape of this object. Hidden obstacles student advanced version this lab demonstrates the techniques that scientists used over a century ago to determine the basic structure of the atom. In this classroom activity rutherford scattering is modelled by rolling marbles at a wine glass. You can simulate rutherford s work by rolling a marble the probe marble at a line of marbles the target marbles and counting the number of times that there is a collision between the probe marble and a target marble.

Rutherford scattering is one of the most famous experiments of all time. Support each claim with evidence from the experiment. By rolling marbles past hidden obstacles and observing their trajectories students will be able to make inferences on the shape and size of the obstacles. Design their own experiment using rolling marbles as alpha particles to discover the shape of a hidden geometric shape which simulates the nucleus.