Mini-Rutherford Experiment Nuclear Engineering eVOL9 Summer 2015

Geiger and Marsden, Ernest Rutherford

Task Today, we will recreate the Rutherford experiment to find the shape of objects hidden under a board As a team, you must use the marbles and paper provided to determine the shape of the object that is under the board

Brainstorm! Take 5 minutes and develop a procedure for your team to determine the shape under the board Before you move on, check your procedure with your counselor

Test! As a team, work to find the shapes of the four different objects under your boards One member from each team should be in charge of timing how long it takes to find each shape When you think you have determined the shape under your board, show it to Prof. Thompson before moving on to the next shape

Reflect! How easy or difficult was this method of “seeing” the shape of the block? What were the critical factors to successfully find the shape of the block?

Report! Why was it important to draw the pathways of the marbles that miss as well as those that hit the block? Describe how varying the block shape can change the outcome of the event.

Today’s Video! Let’s learn a little more about Rutherford’s experiment and how that relates to nuclear engineering dnc8 dnc8 Ernest Rutherford,