Question

Helium is the lightest noble gas and the second most abundant element in the universe. In the sun, Hydrogen atoms are fused to create Helium and release energy in form of light. According to Rutherford, the nucleus is made up of two protons and two neutrons and is rather small compare to the size of the atom.Let's investigate how much volume the nucleus occupies compared to the total volume of the atom. The radius of the helium atom is approximate 3.193x10-11m. The nucleus is substantially smaller at 2.224x10-15m. Assuming that both atom and nucleus are perfectly spherical, what is the fraction of volume occupied by the nucleus compared to the total volume of the atom. Report the answer with 3 decimals and to the power of -15, i.e. if your answer is 1.53322x10-15 enter 1.533, if your answer is 1.53322x10-14 enter 15.332 etc. ps Does this give you an idea how small the size of the nucleus is?

Answer 1