Exam-style question
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Why is the plum pudding model considered inadequate in explaining atomic structure?.
- A.It does not account for the mass of neutrons.
- B.It fails to explain the results of Rutherford's scattering experiments.
- C.It suggests that electrons are stationary.
- D.It accurately predicts the behavior of alpha particles.
Model answer
What a good answer should say
- It fails to explain the results of Rutherford's scattering experiments.
Explanation
Why this works
The plum pudding model could not explain the unexpected results of Rutherford's alpha scattering experiments, particularly the large deflections of some alpha particles, which indicated a dense nucleus rather than a diffuse charge distribution.
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