What fraction of the ox particles in Rutherford's gold foil

Last updated: 7/11/2022

What fraction of the ox particles in Rutherford's gold foil experiment are scattered at large angles? Assume the gold foil is two layers thick, as shown in the figure, and that the approximate diameters of a gold atom and its nucleus are 1.6 Å and 1.2 x 10^-4 A, respectively. Hint: Calculate the cross-sectional area occupied by the nucleus as a fraction of that occupied by the atom. Assume that the gold nuclei in each layer are offset from each other. Express your answer to two significant figures.