POP

The Pop Corn Theory

21st December, 2006

 

 

By Bibhas Acharya

 

 

Background

 

Concerning the gold-foil experiment conducted by Geiger and Marsden in 1909 under the supervision of Professor E. Rutherford, I have found it upright fascinating for the conclusions drawn from the experiment to co-exist with the accepted "particulate theory" of light in the modern times. The two theories in themselves may be correct and, keeping in mind my shallow physics knowledge, I wouldn't dare challenge them. However, I have to admit here that the inconsistency created has bothered me enough.

 

Last year, in one of our physics classes with Mr. Keshar Khulal at Budhanilkantha School, we were discussing about the gold-foil experiment. In course of the lesson, it dawned upon me that if a good percentage of alpha rays should penetrate the gold-leaf without being deflected, photons in a pencil of visible light too should behave in the same way. Infact, photons in comparison to alpha-particles are charge-less and much smaller in size. Therefore, the photons should penetrate the gold foil much ease and with far little deflections. This also follows that a gold-leaf should be transparent in nature. But, it is known, no matter how thin it may be, that a gold-foil, let alone transparent, is not even translucent.

 

This leads us to a point of great dismay and just two possibilities. The first possibility is that Rutherford's conclusion (and thus, the whole atomic theory) is invalid but the "particulate theory" of light is true. Or, the second possibility is that Rutherford's conclusion is be true, i.e. that nucleus in every atom is infact concentrated in a tiny space and that the "particulate theory" of light (or the "wave-particle duality theory of light" even) could be invalid.