Thomson likened the atom to a Christmas pudding or a watermelon, where electrons were compared to currants or seeds embedded within a positively charged sphere.
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It revolutionized the understanding of atomic structure, revealing the nucleus as a tiny, dense center of positive charge surrounded by mostly empty space occupied by electrons, leading to the development of the nuclear model of the atom.
Rutherford calculated that the radius of the nucleus is about 10^5 times less than the radius of the atom based on the observations of the deflected α-particles.
He concluded that all the positive charge and mass of the gold atom were concentrated in a very small volume within the atom.
It suggested that the positive charge of the atom occupies very little space within the atom.