The fact that most α-particles passed through the foil without deflection indicated that most of the space inside the atom is empty.
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Rutherford observed that most α-particles passed through the gold foil without significant deflection.
Rutherford concluded that atoms have a small, dense nucleus, based on the observation that most α-particles passed through the atom undeflected, but a small fraction were deflected at large angles.
The gaps in the fence allow most stones to pass through without hitting the wire, analogous to α-particles passing through atoms without significant interaction.
The sound of stones hitting a wall corresponds to the detection of α-particles when they interact with the nucleus of an atom, resulting in deflection.