Plum Pudding Model

Definition

The "Plum Pudding" model, proposed by J.J. Thomson, suggests that an atom is made up of a positively charged sphere with negatively charged electrons embedded within it.

Analogy

Imagine a chocolate chip cookie dough as the positive sphere and the chocolate chips as the negative electrons scattered throughout. Just like how the dough and chips are mixed together, the positive and negative charges in an atom are evenly distributed.

Related terms

Alpha Particles: These are positively charged particles consisting of two protons and two neutrons. They were used in the Gold Foil Experiment to probe the structure of atoms.

Gold Foil Experiment: This experiment conducted by Ernest Rutherford involved firing alpha particles at a thin gold foil to investigate the structure of atoms.

Electron Cloud Model: This model describes electrons as existing in regions called orbitals or electron clouds around the nucleus of an atom.