How does the design of Rutherford's experiment show what he was trying to find out?

Rutherford passed a alpha particles through a very thing gold metal foil to find out the presence of nucleus, and shells ...

Observation:

1) Many of the alpha rays passed through the foil without any deflection, because alpha rays are positively charged so they can easily pass through the shells of metal foil ...

2) Some of them deflected at very large angle ...

3) Very few of them bounced back ...

Conclusion:

Empty space:

The volume occupied by an atom is largely empty as most of the alpha particles passed through the foil without any deflection ...

Presence of nucleus

The positive charge concentrated in extremely dense regionwhuch he called nucleus ...