Methods of ionisation/excitation

[josh_c7]

when an electron collides with the atom it is fired at, what is the likelihood that an electron will be excited/ionised, and the firing electron will hit the nucleus. i know this is very unlikely for small atoms such as hydrogen and helium, but what would be observed if larger atoms, with a strong nuclear charge such as radon where the electrons path will be curved.
my thoughts are if it hit the right angle it would bounce into the area where the nucleus would have a strongh enough pull to bring the electron in for electron capture, or it would be curved and hit another electron, as there would be many in orbit and two or more electrons would be excited/ionised, from one fired electron, due to the pull of the nuclear charge. what would the outcome be?

 

[azntoon]

The likelihood of an electron colliding with the nucleus of an atom, regardless of size, is very low. This is due to the fact that the nucleus is so small relative to the size of the atom that it would be nearly impossible for an incoming electron to hit it directly. Furthermore, even if the electron were to hit another electron, the chances of it being excited or ionized are still quite low. In order for an electron to be excited or ionized, it must first absorb enough energy to overcome its binding energy. This is typically much higher than the energy released in a single collision between two electrons. Thus, it is unlikely that any ionization or excitation would take place from a single electron collision.