Assignment:
Question 1. In a Rutherford scattering experiment, an alpha particle (charge = +2e) heads directly toward a gold nucleus (charge = +79e). The alpha particle has a kinetic energy of 5.0 MeV when very far (r to infinity) from the nucleus. Assuming the gold nucleus to be fixed in space, determine the distance of the closest approach. Use conservation of energy with PE = k2q1q2/r).