In Rutherford's alpha-particle scattering experiment, only a few alpha particles rebound back because
(A)The size of gold nucleus is very small as compared to the size of gold atom.
(B) Alpha particle and gold nucleus have equal charge.
(C) The impact parameter is minimum for a few alpha particles.
(D) A few alpha particles have very high kinetic energy.
(E) Only a few alpha particles undergo head-on collision with the nuclei.
Choose the correct answer from the options given below :
(A)The size of gold nucleus is very small as compared to the size of gold atom.
(B) Alpha particle and gold nucleus have equal charge.
(C) The impact parameter is minimum for a few alpha particles.
(D) A few alpha particles have very high kinetic energy.
(E) Only a few alpha particles undergo head-on collision with the nuclei.
Choose the correct answer from the options given below :
- (A)A, B Only
- (B)B, E Only
- (C)C,D Only
- (D)A,C,E Only✓ Correct
Answer: (D)
Solution
Large-angle rebound is rare because the nucleus occupies only a minute fraction of the atom's volume, so very few alpha particles ever pass close to it. Only those with a very small impact parameter, approaching almost head-on, come near enough to feel the intense Coulomb repulsion that turns them back, and such near head-on encounters are themselves rare. The alpha particles and the gold nucleus do not carry equal charge, and the incident beam is essentially mono-energetic rather than containing a few exceptionally fast particles, so those two statements are untrue. The statements that correctly account for the rebound are the small nuclear size, the minimum impact parameter, and the rarity of head-on collisions.
JEE Main · 2026 · 04 Apr 2026 · Shift 2 · Single correct option