Question

Rutherford experiment. The target of the experiment is a thin foil. Why is it important for the target to be thin?

reduces the possibility of multiple interactions and makes possible to investigate individual events.

It reduces the noise in the data.

As the target is made of gold, it reduced the cost of the experiment.

The nuclei inside the target becomes easier to reach.

It increases the ratio of area to volume in the target.

The electrostatic interaction depends on distance. The thickness of the foil is the characteristic distance of the system and making it smaller makes the interactions more obvious.

Answer 1

Rutherford gold foil experiment was an experiment to measure scattering of alpha particles from a thin gold foil that led to discovery of atomic nucleus. It concluded the presence of densely packed positively charged nuclei within an atom.

It reduces possibility of multiple interactions and makes it easier to assume a single particle deflection with approximation that that the alpha particles don't absorb due to more volume of foil.

Gold is the most malleable material and can be made to have large area to volume ratio.

The nuclei inside the target becomes easy to reach.

Thinner the foil, easier the electrostatic attraction between the nuclei of foil and alpha particle. The interaction becomes obvious in the assumption that the alpha particles strike the nuclei.