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.
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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.
The fact that most α-particles passed through the foil without deflection indicated that most of the space inside the atom is empty.