by John Iovine (Author)
This book illustrates a variety of nuclear experiments one can perform using a Geiger Counter. The experiments teach the fundamentals of nuclear science and particle physics. Beginning with an introduction to ionizing radiation and Geiger counters. The book explains the different types of radiation Geiger counters can detect and measure. The book explains the functions and reading available from the Geiger counter. How to read CPS and CPM measurements and use PC graphing software. The first experiment is on measuring background radiation. How to calculate the mean and standard deviation of the background radiation. The second experiment continues on to the Poisson distribution. Other experiments illustrate the difference between alpha, beta, x-ray and gamma radiation, shielding for radiation, detecting radioactivity in food, detecting radon in a closed environment, inverse square law, deflecting beta particles using magnetic and more.