Question

what did ernest rutherfords gold foil experiment demonstrate about an atom? each atom is composed of electrons and positive material. the mass of the atom is evenly spread throughout the atom. neutrons are located in the center of the atom. positive charge occupies a very small volume in the atom.

Explanation:

In Rutherford's gold - foil experiment, most alpha particles passed straight through the foil, but a small number were deflected at large angles. This indicated that the positive charge and most of the mass of the atom were concentrated in a very small region (the nucleus) at the center of the atom.

Answer:

Positive charge occupies a very small volume in the atom.