It illustrates the concept of most particles passing through without interacting, akin to α-particles passing through atoms with minimal deflection.
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Rutherford conducted the α-particle scattering experiment.
Rutherford did not expect to see large deflections since the alpha (α)-particles were much heavier than the protons in the gold atoms.
Rutherford expected the alpha (α)-particles to be deflected by the sub-atomic particles within the gold atoms as they passed through the foil.
Alpha (α)-particles are doubly-charged helium ions consisting of two protons and two neutrons, with a mass of 4 atomic mass units (u).