Air Force School

Chakeri Kanpur, 2025-26

Alpha (α)-Particle Scattering Experiment

(Geiger-Marsden Scattering Experiment)
 Prologue
Name: Aryan Shakya

Class: XII-A

[Link]: 13

Subject: Physics

Topic: Investigatory project on the topic Alpha (α)-

Particle Scattering Experiment

Academic year: 2025-2026

School: Air Force School Chakeri, Kanpur

 Certificate
This is to certify that Aryan Shakya the student of
class: XII-A have successfully completed his Physics
Project titled “Geiger-Marsden Scattering Experiment”
under the guidance of Mrs. Anuja Bhatia during the
academic year 2025-2026. Based on the curriculum
issued by CBSE and has given satisfactory account of it
in the project.

Sign of internal Sign of external

Examiner Examiner
 Acknowledgement

I would like to express my immense gratitude to

my Physics teacher Mrs. Anuja Bhatia for the help
and guidance she provided for completing this
Project.

I also thank my parents who gave their ideas and

inputs in making this project. Most of all I thank our
school management, for providing the facilities and
opportunity to do this project.

Lastly, I would like to thanks my friends who have

done this project with me and my class mates who
helped me to make the project better. Their
support made this project fruitful.

- Aryan Shakya
Table of
Contents

1) Front Page………………………………………..…01
2) Prologue…………………………………………..…02
3) Certificate…………………………………………..03
4) Acknowledgement……………………………..04
5) Index………………………………………………….05
6) Introduction……………………………………….06
7) Experimental Arrangement………………..07
8) Aim/Objective………………………………….…08
9) Procedure For making of model……......09
10) Working of model……………………………...10
11) Observations………………………………….....11
12) Results……………………………………………….12
13) Distance of closest approach………….....13
14) Impact parameter………………………….....14
15) Rutherford’s model of atom………………16
16) Limitations of the this model……………..17
17) Bibliography……………………………………...18
1. Introduction

Ernest Rutherford

As the Thomson’s model was

discarded due to lack of
explanation about an atom.

On the suggestion of Rutherford,

his two associates [Link] and
Hans Geiger
[Link], in 1911, performed
experiments on the scattering of
alpha-particle from thin foils and
obtained an important insight into
the structure of the atom.

An alpha-particle is a helium ion,

i.e., a helium atom from which
Ernest Marsden
both the electrons have been
removed. It has charge equal to
+2e and its mass is nearly four
times the mass of a proton.
2. Experimental Arrangement

A schematic arrangement of Geiger-Marsden experiment, a

radioactive source of Alpha-Particle like 214 Bi 83 is enclosed
in thick lead clock, provided with narrow opening. The Alpha-
Particle from this source are collimated into a narrow beam
through a narrow slit. The beam is allowed to fall on a thin
gold foil of thickness 2.1 x 10^-7 m. The Alpha-Particle
scattered in different directions are observed with the help
of a rotatable detector which consists of a zinc sulphide
screen and microscope. Whenever an Alpha-Particle strikes
the screen, it produces a tiny flash, or scintillation, which is
viewed through the microscope. In this way, the number of
Alpha-Particles scattered at different angles can be counted.
The whole apparatus is enclosed in and evacuated chamber
to avoid scattering of Alpha-Particles by air molecules.
 3. Aim/Objective
To study the Alpha-Particle scattering through a demonstrative
model of Geiger-Marsden Scattering Experiment.

4. Material Required
1. Laser pointer light
2. Adjustable lens
3. 2 x 1.5 volts Batteries
4. Counterfeit of ZnS screen
5. Counterfeit of thin gold foil
6. Cardboard base

5. Procedure for making of model

Step-1: Making the Counterfeit of ZnS screen
➢ Painted a cardboard sheet in pale blue color, which is
the color of ZnS exhibit with copper.
➢ Attached this on the Cardboard base.
Step-2: Making the counterfeit of thin gold foil
➢ A gold foil is pasted around a thin sheet.
➢ Then an adjustable lens is attached at the bottom
of this gold foil.
➢ Then it is pasted in the center of the ZnS Screen.

Step-3: Making the source of Alpha-Particle

➢ 2 x 1.5 volts batteries are put inside the laser
pointer light.
➢ This light is attached in the box and this box is kept
vertically straight in the direction of gold foil.

Step-4: Adding lead bricks

➢ The Alpha-Particle beam is enclosed with two lead
bricks.
➢ It is provided with a narrow opening, the beam of
Alpha-Particle is collimated through this narrow
opening.

Step-5: Making the imitation of Detector

➢ Made an imitation of detector (Microscope) by
pasting a sheet of paper around a cylindrical
cardboard sheet and attaching a wire to it.
➢ Then pasting this imitation near the ZnS screen.
6. Working of the model
When the button is pressed a beam of laser light (which
represents beam of Alpha-Particle) passes through the
narrow opening between the lead bricks. It strikes the
adjustable lens and beam scattered in different angles
(which represent the scattering of the Alpha-Particle). One
of the light is scattered in the backward direction (which
represents backward scattering of the Alpha-Particle).

“When the
button is not
pressed,
there is no
scattering of
the Alpha-
Particle”

“When the
button is
pressed, the
scattering of
the Alpha-
Particle
starts”
7. Observations
A graph is drawn between the scattering angle (θ) and the
number N(θ) of the Alpha-Particles scattered at an angle
(θ), for a very large number of Alpha-Particles.

The above graph reveal the following facts :

1. Most of the Alpha-Particles pass straight through the
Gold foil or suffer only small deflections.
2. A few Alpha-Particles, about 1 in 8,000 get deflected
Through 90° or more.
3. Occasionally, an Alpha-Particle gets rebounded from
The gold foil, suffering a deflection of nearly 180°.
8. Results
Significance of the results, Rutherford concluded the
following important facts about an atom:
1. As most of the Alpha-Particle pass straight through the
Foil, so most of the space within atoms must be empty.
2. To explain large angle scattering of Alpha-Particles,
Rutherford suggested that all the positive charge and
The mass of the atom is concentrated in a very small
Region, called the nucleus of the atom.
3. The nucleus is surrounded by a cloud of electron
Whose total negative charge is equal to the total
Positive charge on the nucleus so that the atom as a
Whole is electrically neutral.

This scattering on the Rutherford’s Model of atom

we

Distance of closest approach:

Estimation of nuclear size

In Rutherford’s experiment, the distance of closet

approach (r0) refers to the minimum distance an alpha
Particle travels before being deflected back by the
positively charged nucleus. This distance is determine
by the alpha particle’s kinetic energy and the electrical
potential energy due to the repulsion between the
alpha particles and the nucleus.
The size of the nucleus is
estimated to be about 10^-15 m
Whereas the size of atom was
estimated to be about 10^-10 m
Which means the size of
nucleus is significantly smaller
than the size of the atom.
 Impact Parameter

The impact parameter, often denoted as "b," is the

perpendicular distance between the path of an incoming
particle and the center of a scattering potential. It
essentially measures how close the particle "misses" the
center of the interaction. In scattering experiments, the
impact parameter determines the deflection angle of the
particle after the interaction. In essence, the impact
parameter is a measure of how "off-center" a particle is
in its approach to a nucleus, and it directly influences
the degree to which the particle is deflected. The impact
parameter can be related to the scattering angle (θ) and
the distance of closest approach (r) in a scattering
experiment: b = r * sin(θ/2).
Thus the shape pf the trajectory pf the scattered Alpha-
Particle depends on the impact parameter and the nature
of the potential field.
The Trajectory of the Alpha-particles in the coulomb
field of a target nucleus. The impact parameter, b and
the scattering angle θ.

The trajectory of an alpha particle, when scattered by a

nucleus, explains the structure of the atom and the
existence of the nucleus. It demonstrates that most of
the atom's positive charge and mass are concentrated in
a small, dense core, which Rutherford called the
nucleus.
Rutherford’s model of an atom

❖An atom consists of a small and massive central core

in which the entire positive charge and almost the
whole mass of the atom are concentrated. This core
is called the nucleus.
❖The size of the nucleus is about 10^-15 m is very
small as compared to the size of the atom which is
about 10^-10 m.
❖The nucleus is surrounded by a suitable number of
electrons so that their total negative charge is equal
to the total positive charge on the nucleus and the
atom as a whole is electrically neutral.
❖The electrons revolve around the nucleus in various
orbits just as planets revolve around the sun. The
centripetal force required for their revolution is
provided by the electrostatic attraction between the
electrons and the nucleus.
 Limitations of this model

❖According to electromagnetic theory, an

accelerated charged particle must radiate
electromagnetic energy. An electron revolving
around the nucleus is under continuous
acceleration towards the center. It should
continuously lose energy and move in orbits of
gradually decreasing radii. The electron should
follow a spiral path and finally it should collapse
into the nucleus. Thus the Rutherford’s model
cannot explain the stability of an atom.
❖As the electrons spiral in inwards, their angular
velocities and frequencies would change
continuously, and so the frequency of emitted light
will also change. They would emit a Continues
spectrum instead Of the actually observed line
Spectrum.

Spiral path of an
Accelerated electron
Bibliography
• Physics NCERT textbook part II
• S.L. Arora textbook volume II
• Illustrative oxford book
• [Link]
• [Link]
• [Link]
• [Link]
• [Link]
• [Link]
• [Link]