AQA · Physics · 8463
GCSE Physics: The development of the model of the atom (common content with chemistry)
Atomic structure · AQA GCSE Physics (8463), specification point 4.4.1.3. Cards are generated from the exam board's own specification for "The development of the model of the atom (common content with chemistry)", and every card links back to the page it came from. Specification © AQA — used with attribution.
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Before the discovery of the electron, how were atoms thought to be structured?
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As tiny spheres that could not be divided.
Which discovery led to the plum pudding model of the atom?
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The discovery of the electron.
Describe the plum pudding model of the atom.
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A ball of positive charge with negative electrons embedded in it.
Which experiment led to the plum pudding model being replaced by the nuclear model?
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The alpha particle scattering experiment.
What did the alpha particle scattering experiment show about where an atom's mass is located?
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The mass is concentrated at the centre, in a charged nucleus.
How did Niels Bohr adapt the nuclear model of the atom?
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He suggested that electrons orbit the nucleus at specific distances; his calculations agreed with experimental observations.
The positive charge of a nucleus can be subdivided into a whole number of smaller particles called ?.
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protons
Whose experimental work provided evidence for the existence of neutrons in the nucleus?
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James Chadwick.
Roughly how long after the nucleus was accepted did Chadwick provide evidence for the neutron?
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About 20 years.
What is the key difference between the plum pudding model and the nuclear model of the atom?
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Plum pudding: positive charge spread throughout a ball with electrons embedded. Nuclear: mass and positive charge concentrated in a tiny central nucleus, with electrons around it.
Why can a scientific model such as the atomic model be changed or replaced?
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Because new experimental evidence may contradict or extend the existing model.
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