It illustrates the concept of most particles passing through without interacting, akin to α-particles passing through atoms with minimal deflection.

The barbed-wire fence symbolizes the gold foil in Rutherford’s experiment, with the gaps in the fence representing the empty space within an atom and the possibility of alpha particles passing through without deflection.

When throwing stones at a barbed-wire fence, most of the stones do not hit the fence, resulting in fewer or no sounds heard, because the gaps in the fence allow the stones to pass through.