Question

What was the role of ZnS screen in the gold foil experiment?​

Answer 1

Answer:

The gold foil was surrounded by a zinc sulfide (ZnS) screen that would fluoresce when it was struck by the positively charged alpha particles. They hypothesized that, if the Thompson model was correct, that the massive, energetic alpha particles would rip through the thin pieces of gold with only minor deflection....

Answer 2

Answer:

Zinc Sulphide screen has a unique quality. Whenever a charged particle hits the screen, the spot at which the particle was hit, glows for some time and leaves a mark which can then be used for studying the patterns. In Rutherford’s experiments, the incoming particle hitting the screen were electrons.

Because of these properties of ZnS screen, it was used in the experiment.