Explain the deflections Rutherford observed, the mass and charge of an atom must all be concentrated in a space that is compared to the size of the atom itself. Therefore, he concluded that matter must not be as uniform as it appears. It must contain regions of empty space dotted with regions of very dense matter.

What did Rutherford conclude about the structure of the atom based on his observations of deflections?

a) Atoms are uniformly dense throughout
b) Atoms have a solid, continuous structure
c) Atoms contain regions of empty space and dense matter
d) Atoms are composed entirely of protons and electrons