Answer to Question #326576 in Atomic and Nuclear Physics for natez

Question

Since Dalton believed that all matter was composed of atoms, indivisible and indestructible building blocks, What if Dalton had been correct what would Rutherford have expected from his experiments with gold foil?

Answer 1

• Dalton's atomic theory was the first complete attempt to describe all matter in terms of atoms and their properties.
• Dalton based his theory on the law of conservation of mass and the law of constant composition.
• The first part of his theory states that all matter is made of atoms, which are indivisible.
• The second part of the theory says all atoms of a given element are identical in mass and properties.
• The third part says compounds are combinations of two or more different types of atoms.
• The fourth part of the theory states that a chemical reaction is a rearrangement of atoms.
• Parts of the theory had to be modified based on the existence of subatomic particles and isotopes.