The gold foil experiment was one of the most significant experiments in the study of the atom. It is incorrectly described here:

http://www.thechembook.com/wiki/index.php/Ernest_Rutherford

Someone should correct it.

Uranium (or another source of radiation) creates an alpha particle (4He nucleus) that is projected into a thin layer of gold (remember that the property of gold is that it is malleable). Now, Rutherford and his students expected the alpha particles to pass through the gold. Instead, some alpha particles were scattered and deflected. The explanation was that a tiny area of the atom (Rutherford called it a nucleus) was causing the deflection of the alpha particles. 

Reference:
http://mishiewishieblogg.blogspot.com/2010/10/gold-foil-experiment.html

The gold foil experiment was one of the most significant experiments in the study of the atom. It is incorrectly described here:
http://www.thechembook.com/wiki/index.php/Ernest_Rutherford
Someone should correct it.
Uranium (or another source of radiation) creates an alpha particle (4He nucleus) that is projected into a thin layer of gold (remember that the property of gold is that it is malleable). Now, Rutherford and his students expected the alpha particles to pass through the gold. Instead, some alpha particles were scattered and deflected. The explanation was that a tiny area of the atom (Rutherford called it a nucleus) was causing the deflection of the alpha particles. 

Reference:
http://mishiewishieblogg.blogspot.com/2010/10/gold-foil-experiment.html

The gold foil experiment was one of the most significant experiments in the study of the atom. It is incorrectly described here:

http://www.thechembook.com/wiki/index.php/Ernest_Rutherford

Someone should correct it.

Uranium (or another source of radiation) creates an alpha particle (4He nucleus) that is projected into a thin layer of gold (remember that the property of gold is that it is malleable). Now, Rutherford and his students expected the alpha particles to pass through the gold. Instead, some alpha particles were scattered and deflected. The explanation was that a tiny area of the atom (Rutherford called it a nucleus) was causing the deflection of the alpha particles. 

Reference:
http://mishiewishieblogg.blogspot.com/2010/10/gold-foil-experiment.html