Rutherford Gold Foil Experiment - Backstage Science

[MrSuperZangief]

why the doorbell sound it almost stoped me from watching this video, learn not to use such irritating sounds the next time DX

[vmelkon]

Is there a vacuum in the bell jar?

[zbret]

Would somebody get the door!?

[WarSpigotProductions]

When will the atomic pinball machine be invented? Doesn't matter -- it'll be too expensive for anyone to buy

[SuperNumber21]

i hate british people but this is interesting. just my opinion

[3afoora]

thank you ^^

[tweetybyrd7890]

My science teacher brought me here 7th grade science learned about the model of an atom .

[JackMania77377]

I only study chemistry for the methamphetamine business.

[Mikeyadig1095]

Gotta Love Chemistry



[michaellovegrove]

answer your damn door!

[vasudev666666]

excellent video, thanks

[Mrleopleasure]

i am so confused i hate this crap

[MultiBrendab]

@Mrleopleasure I know I don't get the use of knowing this, except for the use of wanting to make an atomic bomb.

[iiAngelic]

i still don't understand. why do the particles bounce back?

[joel7308]

@iiAngelic this is wat i understand alpha particles r positive so wen they come in contact with the proton very close they deflect back i'm i correct if u get the correct answer tell me pls

[MultiBrendab]

@iiAngelic A negative and negative deflected like a magnet and how he found out I believe was by using a nucleus that was negatively charged so every time a electron would go thru it would bounce back in various directions

[purplehayabusa]

This is the best explanation of the Rutherford Experiment I've ever watched. Very clear and it has a working replica of the experiment.

[mohitkoli1]

nyc one..

[Defonthana]

damn...this bell...it drove me crazy...since i was watching it with enough volume to hear the man..but then the bell ringed..and i got "aargh!"..but i love the video though...only that bell...

[CoyoteBuddy]

History and practicality together. Great video. Quit worrying about the bell, it's just a BELL!

[nodariel]

I thought one of Rutherfords students were responsible for this laborious experiment? Is this true?

[Lavabug]

@nodariel

Yes, and they did it by holding a phosphorescent screen behind the source of alpha particles and watched it closely in pitch dark... for hours at a time. Watch the BBC documentary series "Atom", its on the tube.

[GoldenChantarelle]

That bell hurts my brain, I'm going all tense from hearing that bell sound so many times. It feels like there is a bell ringing inside my brain and shredding it to pieces every time it rings.

I hope that was just added to the video (why though?) and I hope that the detector doesn't really make such a sound every time it detects a reflecting particle. That could drive the person running the experiment to go crazy in a short time.

[RichTurtle32]

Cool :-)

[hamfish225]

That. Bell. Is. SO. annoying.

[matthias3895]

Awesome experiment! Awful doorbell!

[supergsx]

Do they ever take quantum effects into consideration in this particular experiment?

[LolxDBart]

the person who disliked thought there was someone at the door and kept pausing the video and running to the door.

[sun6021023]

I would hate to meet the one person who disliked this video.

[eltotoX]

Awesome channel, Brady! I only found out about it today! I wish you got rid of the cheesy 80's educational video music, though :/

[wyojeep]

Great experiment video with "anybody can understand" illustrations, however the doorbell volume was overwhelming the rest of the audio.

[vk2zay]

Is that belljar under vacuum? The MFP of alphas from Am-241 can't be too long?

[BackstageScience]

@vk2zay it was pumped down yes.

[kyle3420]

@vk2zay The range of alpha particles from Am-241 in air @STP is about 4.13 cm

[johnjaksic61]

Backstage science-->

Is the foil that was used very similar to Rutherford's original set-up... or more to point how thin was the gold foil, originally?

[rjhrjh3]

This experiment proves that atoms are mostly empty space. But does this say how big the nuclei are?

[pompeyjim12]

@rjhrjh3 Well if your think about it, if there is most empty space than the size of that empty space must be relatively small.

[thewindowproject]

What's the distribution of particles based on angle of the sensor?

[SchumiUCD]

@thewindowproject The distribution of particles is proportional to 1/sin^4(O/2)

[modernblacksmith]

I was torn in half by this video.....one side loved the cool science of it and the other half was driven insane by that doorbell noise!

[twycross3]

Loved your video!!!!!

[Draxis32]

I've always been fascinated by this experiment that Rutherford did to prove the atom was not a single blob.

In my opnion its one of the most revealing experiments in all history of mankind.

[jeebersjumpincryst]

excellent vid - thanks! @puncheex thumbs up for that :)

[kontekzt]

that was kinda funny, but, please, dont use that doorbell sound again :p

[deanbrickland]

why does it somtimes take so long to hit the nucleus

[Lavabug]

@deanbrickland

The size of a nucleus is extremely small compared to the entire atom, the probability of a head-on collision is very low.

[deanbrickland]

@Lavabug thanks

[yellowmetalcyborg]

Didn't he use radium as an alpha source?

Nice job anyway.

[ManusCelerDei]

folk lore? not really the right term

[JoshMr07]

@ManusCelerDei legend... probably a more correct term

[piranha031091]

@HAMMERHEARTSSB He also looks like Nicolas Rush, from Stargate Universe!

[zapo147]

epic intro music is epic.

[appelelle]

@zapo147 thank you! :-)

[luckyluke1232]

intesresting

[TheIronDildo]

THAT IS NOT PLUM PUDDING.

[asmathyder]

i love that bell sound

[HAMMERHEARTSSB]

this guy looks like newton

[bbqsauceonmycock]

asdf

[Zee96969696]

so the alpha particles are radiating from radioactive unstable material? and how did that scientist know about that? and how do they detect whats going on in LHS, theres so many quastion to which I just never get answers, and when i do get the answers, i just don't understand it

[puncheex]

@Zee96969696: Roentgen discovered radiation by storing photographic plates in a drawer wrapped in dark paper with a sample of uranium ore sitting on them. The ore left its imprint on the plates. Investigation of this lead to differentiation of alpha, beta, gamma and X-rays. As it turns out, alpha radiation is characteristic of many heavy isotopes, so Americium, with heavy weight, radiates alphas. Americium's 432 yr half-life makes it a long term stable source of midling intensity.

[Zee96969696]

@puncheex oh ok

[flakemusic86]

My doorbell makes the exact same sound... I got really confused watching this :D

[trespire]

@flakemusic86 Maybe it's an alpha particle at the door ! :-/

[pompeyjim12]

@flakemusic86 Same sound my doorbell makes, my dog went crazy just as he heard that sound.Lol

[SimbaMwendapole]

@flakemusic86 hahahaha, it got me too. I went to the door thinking there was someone!

[MrTranceNinja]

It seems the detectors are at quite precise angles - is that for a reason? Do all of the electrons hitting or getting deflected by the gold leaf/foil deflect at particular angles, or are the detectors placed in the most likely positions?

[passwordresetisbroke]

@MrTranceNinja One of the detectors is in the direct path of the alpha particles, and the other can be and is moved.

[LtPinback]

@MrTranceNinja No scattering goes on around the target. You move the second detector to get a statistical scatter count for each angle. It always bothers me that they simplify this point in the animations. So alpha particles mostly go in a straight line to the 1st detector and a "small" number scatter in ALL directions from the gold atom encounter. Is that clear.

[LtPinback]

@LtPinback No. (period) Scattering goes on around the target.

[MrTranceNinja]

@LtPinback Ah right - that makes sense, thanks. Simple diagrams only make things more complicated, it would seem. :P

[RectumPilum]

Great video, but you should have used some Genesis music =P

(Mike Rutherford played the bass/guitar in Genesis)

[abaabaabaaba4]

I know this has already happened but

Hydrogen