Ernest Rutherford (the first New Zealander to be awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry) demonstrated that nuclei were very small and dense by scattering helium-4 nuclei (*He) from gold-197 nuclei (19/Au). The energy of the incoming helium nucleus was 7.35 x 10-13 J, and the masses of the helium and gold nuclei were 6.68 x 10-27 kg and 3.29 x 10-25 kg, respectively (note that their mass ratio is 4 to 197. Assume that the helium nucleus travels in the +x-direction before the collision.) (a) If a helium nucleus scatters to an angle of 112° during an elastic collision with a gold nucleus, calculate the helium nucleus' final speed (in m/s) and the final velocity (magnitude in m/s and direction counterclockwise from the +x-axis) of the gold nucleus.
Ernest Rutherford (the first New Zealander to be awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry) demonstrated that nuclei were very small and dense by scattering helium-4 nuclei (*He) from gold-197 nuclei (19/Au). The energy of the incoming helium nucleus was 7.35 x 10-13 J, and the masses of the helium and gold nuclei were 6.68 x 10-27 kg and 3.29 x 10-25 kg, respectively (note that their mass ratio is 4 to 197. Assume that the helium nucleus travels in the +x-direction before the collision.) (a) If a helium nucleus scatters to an angle of 112° during an elastic collision with a gold nucleus, calculate the helium nucleus' final speed (in m/s) and the final velocity (magnitude in m/s and direction counterclockwise from the +x-axis) of the gold nucleus.
College Physics
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Chapter1: Units, Trigonometry. And Vectors
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Transcribed Image Text:**Ernest Rutherford's Experiment with Helium and Gold Nuclei:**
Ernest Rutherford (the first New Zealander to be awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry) demonstrated that nuclei were very small and dense by scattering helium-4 nuclei (\(^4\text{He}\)) from gold-197 nuclei (\(^{197}\text{Au}\)). The energy of the incoming helium nucleus was \(7.35 \times 10^{-13}\) J, and the masses of the helium and gold nuclei were \(6.68 \times 10^{-27}\) kg and \(3.29 \times 10^{-25}\) kg, respectively (note that their mass ratio is 4 to 197). Assume that the helium nucleus travels in the +x-direction before the collision.
**(a)** If a helium nucleus scatters to an angle of \(112^\circ\) during an elastic collision with a gold nucleus, calculate the helium nucleus' final speed (in m/s) and the final velocity (magnitude in m/s and direction counterclockwise from the +x-axis) of the gold nucleus.
- **\(^4\text{He}\) speed:** ____ m/s
- **\(^{197}\text{Au}\) velocity:** ____ m/s
- **\(^{197}\text{Au}\) direction:** ____ ° counterclockwise from the +x-axis
**(b)** What is the final kinetic energy (in J) of the helium nucleus?
- **Final kinetic energy:** ____ J
**Diagram Explanation:**
The diagram shows two nuclei before and after the collision:
- A helium nucleus (shown as a smaller cluster of particles) is moving towards the right with an initial velocity \(\vec{v}_i\).
- A gold nucleus (represented as a larger cluster) is shown scatter with the scattered angle marked as \(120^\circ\) from its initial path.
- After the collision, the helium nucleus is shown scattering at an angle of \(112^\circ\) relative to the +x axis.
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