If a scientist were to shoot protons through an atom as Rutherford did with gold foil, he or she would likely find that

### Most of the protons passed straight through the atom

## Step1: Understanding the Rutherford's Gold Foil Experiment### Rutherford's gold foil experiment involved shooting alpha particles (which are positively charged) through a thin sheet of gold foil. Most of these particles passed straight through the foil, but a few were deflected at large angles. This led to the conclusion that atoms are mostly empty space, with a small, dense, positively charged nucleus at the center.## Step2: Applying the Concept to Protons### Protons, being positively charged, would behave similarly to alpha particles in a gold foil experiment. Most of the protons would pass straight through the atom because the space inside an atom is mostly empty. The protons would only be deflected if they came close to the positively charged nucleus.