Re: [Phys-L] geiger counter

[bernard cleyet <bernard@cleyet.org>]

> On Mar 7, 2023, at 17:37, Anthony Lapinski via Phys-l <phys-l@mail.phys-l.org> wrote:
>
> I teach in high school and am wanting an "inexpensive" portable geiger counter
> for some activities in our Science Club. To detect alpha, beta, and gamma
> radiation (and x-rays?). I want the device to have a peaker so kids can
> easily hear the ticks. Many are available online. Anyone have experience
> with these or use one in their teaching? Any good activities, ideas, or
> write-ups?

Added after finally reading more carefully your request.  You already know much of the following.  

I think the spectrum Techniques manual will answer that question.  A 1950s yellow box one W/ speaker will do for crude absorption.  Only a few of them have a thin window for alpha.  

https://theelectronicgoldmine.com/collections/geiger-counters  



Unfortunately none of the above have speakers, but Chaney has other kits. One of which may supply what you want.  Why must it be portable?  


Wrong I can hear clicks.  But the rear LED isn’t flashing.   Chaney also has counter kits one of which  possibly be combined with the above kit.  


Spectrum Techniques is a source of sources, both sealed and liquid.  i have one of their MCAs.  Very good except the HV P/S is noisy, so the low energy end is unavailable unless one makes a low pass filter (one stage LC. 200mH — 0.1 µFd sufficient). Includes multi channel scalar for half life, etc. (the etc. includes Mössbauer!  But $3k.    And requires an IBM platform computer —  I think they sell an ion-exchange Ba-Cs separation for the Ba meta half life.  The also have detailed lab manuals.  

https://www.spectrumtechniques.com/wp-content/uploads/Spectrum-Techniques-Teachers-Guide.pdf   


If the instruction is advanced, you (AL). may note my Poisson. demo: 

http://cleyet.org/Misc._Physics/Poisson%20(AAPT)/Background%20G-M%20detected%20events.pdf  


Another very cute experiment is finding the Beta spectrum using absorption.  Adding of Al foil sheets and the counts knowing the energy absorption gives the spectrum,  of course, not nearly as good as a variable magnetic field on a 180 deg vacuum chamber.  


Vernier has a crude one here:  https://www.vernier.com/vernier-ideas/an-inexpensive-beta-radiation-spectrometer/    

bc thinks he’s an expert on simple radiation experiments as the lab. mgr. for the intermediate and advanced labs at UCSC.  


And there's these things:   https://www.etsy.com/market/soviet_geiger_counter   and many more on eBay and Amazon.