Presents data allowing the reader to experience (vicariously) Rutherford's scattering experiment.

Rutherford scattering experiments are traditionally performed in the college physics laboratory with an alpha source and some suitable scattering foil. Simple calculations based on reasonable source strengths, geometry, and cross section show that it is very difficult to measure the complete Rutherford angular distribution by this method. The reason for this difficulty is, of course, that the cross section can decrease by a factor of 105 from the forward to the back angles. The purpose of this paper is to show that the Rutherford angular distribution can be measured in a reasonable laboratory period with a low-energy Cockcroft-Walton accelerator. Many universities have these accelerators or plan to add them to their lists of capital equipment. To date, these machines are used almost exclusively as neutron generators with the T(d,n)4He or D(d,n)3He reactions. These accelerators can easily be modified to include charged-particle experiments. In this report, the general format is given for measuring the Rutherford angular distributions for 150-keV protons for the following reactions: C12(p,p)12C, Ni58(p,p)58Ni, , B11(p,p)11B, and Au197(p,p)197Au. At Oak Ridge Associated Universities, we have performed charged-particle experiments similar to those outlined with many undergraduate physics students, as well as their professors. The results have been most gratifying.

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