Sensor radiation (alpha, beta and gamma)

For the short amount of time the GM tube of the radiation sensor is detecting one particle. If another radioactive particle enters the tube it will not be detected. This is called dead time. The maximum dead time for the GM tube is 90 microseconds (or 90 µs).
To detect radiation point the sensor toward the source of radiation. To detect Alpha radiation put the sensor close to the source, this is because Alpha particles do not travel far through air.

Technical specifications:

Measurement range: 0 .. 1000 cps (counts per second)
Radiation types: Alpha, beta, gamma radiation
Gamma sensitivity 18 cps / (mR/hour) (for Cs137)
Pulse length: 0.26 ms
Maximum sample frequency: 100 kHz (CoachLab II+, WiLab) / 1 MHz (VinciLab 2)
Includes sensor cable
Warranty: 3 years

Technical specifications of the radiation sensor are described in the product manual, see downloads.

The Radiation sensor can be used in the following physics experiments:

Monitoring background radiation
Monitoring radiation of common radioactive materials
Radioactive decay and half-life determination
Radiation level versus shielding
Monitoring radiation from a beta or gamma radiation source as a function of the distance between the source and the radiation sensor