In a Rutherford scattering experiment when a projectile of charge Z₁ and mass M₁ approaches a target nucleus of charge Z₂ and mass M ₂ , the distance of closest approach is r ₀ . The energy of the projectile is

Step-by-step solution

A particle of mass M₁ and charge z₁ possess initial velocity u , when it is at a large distance from the nucleus of an atom having atomic number z ₂ . At the distance of closest approach, the kinetic energy of particle is completely converted to potential energy. Mathematically, 1 2 M ₁ u ^2= 1 4 ₀ z ₁ z ₂ r ₀ So the energy of the particle is directly proportional to z ₁ z ₂ .