When alpha particle are sent through a thin metal foil ,most of them go straight through the foil because

Options

A. alpha particle are much heavier than electrons
B. alpha particles are positively charged
C. most part of the atom is empty space
D. alpha particle move with high speed

Answer

**Step-by-Step Solution:**

1. **Understanding Alpha Particles**: Alpha particles are positively charged particles that consist of two protons and two neutrons. They are emitted during certain types of radioactive decay.

2. **Rutherford's Experiment**: In Rutherford's gold foil experiment, a beam of alpha particles was directed at a thin foil of gold. The expectation was that the alpha particles would pass through the foil with little to no deflection.

3. **Observation**: Most of the alpha particles did indeed pass straight through the gold foil without any deflection. However, a small fraction were deflected at large angles, and a very few even bounced back.

4. **Conclusion**: From these observations, Rutherford concluded that atoms are mostly empty space. The nucleus, which contains most of the atom's mass, is very small compared to the overall size of the atom. This is why most alpha particles could pass through the foil without interacting with anything substantial.

5. **Reasoning**: The reason most alpha particles go straight through the foil is that the majority of the atom's volume is empty space, allowing the alpha particles to travel through without encountering any significant mass or charge that would cause them to deflect.

**Final Answer**: Most alpha particles go straight through the thin metal foil because most of the space inside the atom is empty.

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