The first device that comes to mind as a radiation detector (for use in schools) is probably the Geiger-Mueller (GM) tube. Although GM tubes can be used to detect all three types of ionising nuclear radiation (alpha, beta and gamma) they are subject to some important limitations. These shortcomings will be discussed below, together with … Continue reading Radiation detectors
Beta Decay and Energy Conservation
I have just finished reading an excellent book that traces various theories about beta decay in the first third of the Twentieth Century. Controversy and Consensus: Nuclear Beta Decay 1911-1934 is an editted version of the successful PhD thesis written by Carsten Jensen, who clearly had a deep passion for unravelling physics history but died … Continue reading Beta Decay and Energy Conservation
Mr Tarrant's physbang 'blog 