Physics Home > Teaching Labs > Modern Physics > Rutherford Scattering

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The Mac program, Scattering, is designed to reproduce the results of actual scattering experiments by what is known as the "monte carlo method". The programs realistically model actual scattering experiments with three different targets with different scattering laws of force. The impact point is chosen randomly using the BASIC function RND. Then the impact parameter is calculated and related to the scattering angle q using the appropriate scattering function. For example, in Rutherford scattering we have

The programs tabulate the actual number of counts in each 5 degree interval. The energy of the projectile, E, is chosen at the beginning of the experiment. The total number of particles in the beam is preset. The three programs (A, B, and C) involve three different kinds of scattering in some order initially unknown to you. The three laws of force are:

l. Hard spheres of radius a₁ and mass m₁ incident on spheres of radius a₂ and mass m₂ , with a₁ << a₂ (a₂ = r) and a₂ << m₂ (the target remains at rest).

2. Rutherford scattering with z = 1, m₁ << m₂ = 1, e = 1 , and Z unknown.

3. Light mass particle incident on a heavy target particle with an unknown repulsive interaction, different from both l and 2.

Course Level

Student Handouts

Equipment

Number of set-ups available: Per lab station: 1 Macintosh SE/30/dust cover, mouse pad and rolling cart 1 Turbonet connector 1 4 wire phone cable 1 True Basic software on Mac 1 network printer 1 Rutherford Scattering software on Mac 1 network port

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