Rutherford scattering: Meaning and Definition of

Ruth'erford scat"tering

Pronunciation: [key]
— Physics. Physics.
  1. the scattering of an alpha particle through a large angle with respect to the original direction of motion of the particle, caused by an atom with most of the mass and all of the positive electric charge concentrated at a center or nucleus. Also called
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.