Additional Info

• ID Code: P4-06
• Purpose: Shows some consumer products and naturally occuring materials that are weakly radioactive
• Description: A number of materials that are naturally occuring or consumer products can be investigated. Shown in the photo above (CCW from radiation detector at the lower right) are a Fiestaware plate, KCl salt substitute, and a commercial educational set of radioactive rocks. The Fiestaware contains a uranium gamma-ray source in its orange paint, and both the rocks and the welding rods are also gamma-ray sources. To observe radioactivity for the gamma sources it is only necessary to position the counter reasonably close to the sources. K40 is a source of 1.33 MeV betas with a half-life of about 1.3 billion years. Because of the more limited range of the betas, it is necessary to pour some of the salt substitute product into an open container and hold the window of the detector in contact with the product.
• Availability: Available (Note: Previously included heliarc welding rods not currently available; a collection of uranium glass marbles is available in their place)
• Loc codes: SU19