Which of the following provides evidence to support rutherford's model of the atomic nucleus? a. gold foil experiment b. plum pudding model c. spectrum of colors emitted by gas d. radiation produced when alpha particles hit beryllium

the answer is A: The Gold Foil experiment

A. Gold foil experiment

Explanation:

Ernest Rutherford discovered the nucleus in 1911 from the results he obtained in several experiments in which he bombarded a thin sheet of gold with alpha particles (a sub-microscopic particle with a positive charge) from a radioactive element.  

Rutherford observed, by means of a fluorescent screen, to what extent the particles with which he bombarded the sheet were scattered. Most of them traversed the metal sheet without changing direction; however, a few were reflected backwards with small angles.  

Using a mathematical analysis of the forces involved, Rutherford showed that the scattering was caused by a small positively charged nucleus, located in the center of the gold atom. In this way, he deduced that most of the atom is empty space and discovered the atomic nucleus.