What specific evidence from the gold foil experiement led Rutherford to come to each of the following conclusions?

The nucleus occupies very little space in the atom.

Answer:He shot alpha particles through thin sheet of gold and discovered some were deflected

An atom is made of mostly empty space.

Answer:From his metal foil experiments

The nucleus is positively charged

Answer:Used alpha particles to bounce off atoms and they are positively charged

What specific evidence from the gold foil experiement led Rutherford to come to each of the following conclusions?

I would not have answered as you did. You may mean the same thing I'm writing but I think it's better said.

The nucleus occupies very little space in the atom.

Answer:He shot alpha particles through thin sheet of gold and discovered some were deflected
Thousands of alpha particles were shot through the foil but only a few were deflected.

An atom is made of mostly empty space.

Answer:From his metal foil experiments
Most of the alpha particles went through the fol as if there were no foil present.

The nucleus is positively charged

Answer:Used alpha particles to bounce off atoms and they are positively
Alpha particles are positively charged. If the nucleus were
positively charged the alpha particle would be deflected (as observed). If the nucleus were negatively charged, the alpha particle would have been attracted(it wasn't).

To understand the specific evidence from the gold foil experiment that led Rutherford to come to each of the conclusions, let's break down each conclusion and its corresponding evidence:

1. The nucleus occupies very little space in the atom.
Evidence: Rutherford shot alpha particles (positively charged particles) through a thin sheet of gold. He expected the alpha particles to pass straight through or be slightly deflected due to the assumption that the positive charge of the atom was spread evenly throughout it. However, Rutherford found that some alpha particles were significantly deflected and even bounced back at large angles. This observation led him to conclude that most of the mass and positive charge of the atom were concentrated in a small, dense region he called the nucleus. Thus, the observation of significant deflection and backscattering of alpha particles provided evidence for the conclusion that the nucleus occupies very little space in the atom.

2. An atom is made mostly of empty space.
Evidence: By observing the behavior of alpha particles directed at the gold foil, Rutherford noticed that the vast majority of them passed straight through the foil without any significant deflection. This indicated that most of the alpha particles were actually passing through empty space within the atom. If the atom were not mostly empty space, Rutherford would have expected a higher number of alpha particles to be scattered or deflected at significant angles. Hence, the observation of most alpha particles passing through the gold foil without deflection or interaction provided evidence for the conclusion that an atom is made mostly of empty space.

3. The nucleus is positively charged.
Evidence: During the gold foil experiment, Rutherford observed that a small portion of the alpha particles were deflected at large angles, and some even bounced back towards the source. This observation suggested that these deflections were caused by close encounters with a region of concentrated positive charge within the atom. Rutherford deduced that the positive charge must be localized in a relatively small area, which he identified as the nucleus. The deflection and scattering of alpha particles by the gold atoms demonstrated that the nucleus carried a positive charge. Hence, the experimental evidence of alpha particle deflection and backscattering provided evidence for the conclusion that the nucleus is positively charged.

In summary, Rutherford's conclusions regarding the small size and positively charged nature of the nucleus, as well as the mostly empty space within an atom, were all based on the observations made during the gold foil experiment with alpha particles.