To look inside the atom, Rutherford needed to fire something at it. He used:
While most did pass through, Rutherford was shocked to find that: Rutherford Gold Foil Experiment - Backstage Science
Videos about some of Britain's most amazing science facilities To look inside the atom, Rutherford needed to
Positively charged particles emitted from a radioactive source (radium). To look inside the atom
Chosen because gold is incredibly malleable and can be beaten into a sheet only about 1,000 atoms thick.