In a scattering experiment, some alpha particles are scattered almost straight back from a sheet of gold foil. Each of these particles had an initial kinetic energy of 1.6x10^-12J. The charge on an alpha particle is +2e and the charge on a gold nucleus is +79e. Estimate the maximum possible size of a gold nucleus, given that the alpha particles do not hit the nucleus.

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The maximum possible size of a gold nucleus can be estimated using the Rutherford scattering formula ... View the full answer