Question 1

The ancient Greeks thought that atoms were tiny spheres that could not be divided into anything smaller. Since then, different discoveries have led to the model of the atom changing.
Some of the discoveries are given in Table 1.

The mass of an atom is concentrated in the nucleus.	A
Electrons orbit the nucleus at specific distances.	B
The nucleus contains neutrons.	C
The nucleus contains positively charged protons.	D

Which discovery was the earliest? Tick (✔) one box.

Accepted Answer

1. Recall the historical order of the models of the atom.
   - Dalton's solid sphere.
   - Thomson's plum pudding (discovery of electron, but not an option here).
   - Rutherford's nuclear model (discovery of a small, dense, positive nucleus containing protons).
   - Bohr's model (electrons in specific energy shells/orbits).
   - Chadwick's discovery (the neutron in the nucleus).
2. Match the discoveries A, B, C, and D to the scientists/models.
3. Identify which of these came first.

Question 2

What mistakes do candidates make on this AQA GCSE question?

Accepted Answer

✗ Mixing up the order of discoveries. A common mistake is to think neutrons were discovered before Bohr's model.
✗ Not being able to distinguish between Rutherford's discovery (A and D) and Bohr's (B). Rutherford came first.

How to approach this question

Full Answer

Common mistakes

Practice the full AQA GCSE Physics Foundation Tier Paper 1

More questions from this exam