Calibrate a Geiger Counter
A Geiger-Muller counter, commonly shortened to Geiger counter, is a device used for measuring the level of radiation. Basically, it is a particle detector that shows whether an area or an object emits ionizing radiation. The main part of a Geiger counter is the tube inside it, filled with gas and with a certain amount of voltage applied. To determine if there is a source of radioactivity near and the exact level of radiation of it, you will need a calibrated Geiger counter. It is recommended that a Geiger counter should be calibrated every year.
Instructions
1. Turn on the Geiger counter to start the calibration process. Note that it is not the Geiger-Muller tube inside the counter that needs calibration, but the circuits around it.
2. Find and prepare a source whose level of radioactivity you will be measuring. This source has to be a material for which the exact level of radioactivity is known.
3. Place the Geiger counter near the source, making sure the Geiger-Muller tube is facing the material directly. This position of the counter will assure that the material passes through the thin window and ionizes the gas inside.
4. Read the result of the measuring on the Geiger counter. These devices have a common needle meter to get the exact number, but they also have a flashing LED light and a clicking sound that indicates the existence of radiation.
5. Compare the reading you took from the Geiger counter with the number for the known source. If they match, the Geiger counter is already calibrated. If they don't, you will have to adjust the Geiger counter.
6. Adjust the counter's circuit until you reach the exact reading for the known source. Now the Geiger counter is calibrated and ready to make accurate and precise readings.
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