In discussing Rutherford scattering I ask students to use the simple case of
an alpha particle colliding head on with an electron at rest. The idea is to
use conservation of energy and momentum to show that in a classical
"billiard ball" model, the alpha particle can ignore electrons in its path
to a good approximation.
This term a curious student asked some great questions about what would
happen when such a collision took place.
This exceeded my knowledge a bit, so I thought I would ask here.
What would happen if an alpha particle was fired head-on at an
electron.
(I know the question is posed in an incorrect "billiard ball" fashion.)