1st Edition

Experiments in Nuclear Science

By Sidney A. Katz, Jeff C. Bryan Copyright 2010
    198 Pages 35 B/W Illustrations
    by CRC Press

    198 Pages
    by CRC Press

    Experiments in Nuclear Science is an introductory-level laboratory manual providing hands-on opportunities for developing insights into the origins and properties of nuclear radiations, their interactions with matter, their detection and measurement, and their applications in the physical and life sciences. Based on experiments successfully performed by hundreds of students at Rutgers University and the University of Wisconsin, this manual can be used as a stand-alone volume or alongside a textbook such as Introduction to Nuclear Science by Jeff C. Bryan.

    Relevant to a range of courses

    Each of the 32 exercises includes an overview of the scientific phenomenon, instructions for conducting the experiments and recording the data, directions for analyzing the data and reporting the results, specific questions relating to the experiments, and several problems relating to the scientific phenomena being investigated. Validated for safety and pedagogy in the undergraduate instructional laboratory, the exercises can be used in an undergraduate course in nuclear science. Individual exercises can also be adopted to demonstrate fundamental principles in a general science course as well as introductory biology and chemistry courses. Making use of off-the-shelf instrumentation, these exercises can be performed in a conventional laboratory under the supervision of an experienced instructor.

    Applicable to numerous career fields

    Demonstrating fundamental principles, the concepts explored through these experiments are relevant to a host of career opportunities, including those in the health sciences, the nuclear power industry, regulatory agencies, and waste management services.

    Characteristics of Geiger-Muller Counters
    Resolving Time
    Background Corrections
    Inverse Square Law
    Corrections for Geometry Factors
    Back Scatter of Radiation
    Corrections for Self-absorption
    Range of Beta Radiations
    Absorption of Beta Radiation
    Absorption of Gamma Radiation
    Radioactive Decay and Instrument Efficiency
    Half-life Determination
    Investigation of Two Independently
    Decaying Radionuclides
    Half-life of a Long-lived Radionuclide
    Autoradiography
    Calibration and Operation of the Electroscope
    Properties of Proportional Counters
    Integral Spectra
    Gamma Spectrometry I
    Gamma Spectrometry II
    Liquid Scintillation Counting
    Separation by Precipitation
    Chromatographic Separation
    Random Errors
    Duplicate Samples
    Measurement of Neutron Flux
    Neutron Activation Analysis
    Hot Atom Chemistry
    Synthesis of 14C Aspirin
    Synthesis of 35S Sulfanilamide
    Radiological Monitoring
    Determination of an Unknown
    Appendices

    Biography

    Sidney A. Katz, Jeff C. Bryan