Photo AI

During the 1870s Crookes investigated cathode rays using vacuum tubes like that shown below - Leaving Cert Chemistry - Question 5 - 2015

Question icon

Question 5

During-the-1870s-Crookes-investigated-cathode-rays-using-vacuum-tubes-like-that-shown-below-Leaving Cert Chemistry-Question 5-2015.png

During the 1870s Crookes investigated cathode rays using vacuum tubes like that shown below. (a) (i) Give one way of detecting the presence of cathode rays in a vac... show full transcript

Worked Solution & Example Answer:During the 1870s Crookes investigated cathode rays using vacuum tubes like that shown below - Leaving Cert Chemistry - Question 5 - 2015

Step 1

Give one way of detecting the presence of cathode rays in a vacuum tube:

96%

114 rated

Answer

One way of detecting the presence of cathode rays in a vacuum tube is by observing the fluorescence or glow produced when the rays strike a phosphorescent material or the glass of the tube.

Step 2

Name the scientist who around 1897 identified cathode rays as subatomic particles and, using a vacuum tube, measured their charge-to-mass ratio:

99%

104 rated

Answer

The scientist is J.J. Thomson.

Step 3

What name was given to the subatomic particle he identified?

96%

101 rated

Answer

The name given to the subatomic particle is the electron.

Step 4

Name one of the three scientists who shared the 1903 Nobel prize in Physics for their pioneering work on radioactivity which provided evidence for subatomic particles.

98%

120 rated

Answer

One of the scientists is Henri Becquerel.

Step 5

State three observations made by Rutherford’s team when they bombarded gold foil with alpha-particles:

97%

117 rated

Answer

  1. Most alpha-particles were undeflected and passed straight through the gold foil.
  2. Some alpha-particles were slightly deflected from their original paths.
  3. A few alpha-particles were reflected back.

Step 6

Explain how Rutherford deduced from these observations that the nucleus is positive:

97%

121 rated

Answer

Rutherford concluded that the nucleus is positive because the deflection of some alpha-particles indicated a repulsive force acting upon them, suggesting the presence of positively charged particles within the nucleus.

Step 7

Explain how Rutherford deduced from these observations that the nucleus is small and dense:

96%

114 rated

Answer

Rutherford inferred that the nucleus is small and dense because only a few alpha-particles were reflected back, indicating that the nucleus must occupy a very small volume within the atom, and their deflection required a substantial amount of mass concentrated in a small region.

Join the Leaving Cert students using SimpleStudy...

97% of Students

Report Improved Results

98% of Students

Recommend to friends

100,000+

Students Supported

1 Million+

Questions answered

;