Indirect Observation of the Atom

In this lab experience, students conduct an exercise in indirect observation, using a lab model to probe a hidden object with a laser beam. The model design resembles Ernest Rutherford’s classic “Gold Foil Experiment” which allowed him to propose the existence of the atomic nucleus. Students will observe how a laser beam interacts with the surface of a mirror assembly, or a wooded block hidden under a cardboard blind. Based on their observations, students make inferences about the shape and dimensions of the hidden object(s).