The Rutherford Gold Foil Experiment showed that every atom has a nucleus and that the nucleus contains most of the atoms mass and all of its positive charge.
An alpha particle beam was scattered when it hit a gold foil.
Some of the alpha particles bounced back, suggesting they had hit something with a considerable mass density. This is possible because much of the atom is empty space with the majority of the atom’s mass being concentrated at its center.
The title is somewhat misleading, for it suggests one experiment. The work led to publications in 1908, 1909, 1910 and 1913. Also, the work was done by Rutherford, Geiger and a graduate student named Marsden.
Rob Sterling 