When the Geiger counter was first invented in the year 1908, no one even began to realize the importance of this device and the impact it will still have decades later. Geiger counters detect radioactivity, including Alpha, Beta and Gamma particles. The typical radiation detector consists of a metal tube filled with low pressure gas. The most common gases found in Geiger counters are Neon and Argon, along with small amounts of other gases. Gammascout.com offers you complete information about radiation detecting devices.

The central component of any Geiger counter is the so-called Geiger-Muller tube. Other important components would be the visual readout and the audio readout. The Geiger-Muller tube is a sort of ionization chamber that counts the radiation particles. The user becomes aware of that count by means of the visual readout which is either in the form of a traditional meter or of an electronic LCD. The vast majority of Geiger counters are also equipped with an audio readout system. A digital radiation detector also offers data ports for external computer readout. Modern devices are conceived to be very resistant and have a long life span. If you want a device which will give you a good performance over a long period of time, you should make sure that the incorporated batteries have ultra long lives.

A Geiger counter allows you to detect radioactive particles in the surrounding environment or in certain items. These devices are very useful in situations where a radioactive leakage may have occurred, especially in the vicinity of nuclear power plants. The Geiger counter also serves scientific purposes, in prospecting for radioactive minerals or using it as a teaching prop for students. Common uses of the Geiger device also include checking for the presence of radon in one's basement, detecting irradiated gemstones in the jewelry business or finding contaminated objects and food.

The proper functioning of a radiation detector requires several pre-determined stages. First of all, an ion or an electron penetrates the tube tearing electrons off the gas atoms. Because of the high positive voltage of the wire situated in the center of the tube, the electrons are instantly attracted and so they gain energy. Loaded with energy, the electrons then collide with the atoms, resulting in an avalanche effect of more electrons. This process produces a very easy to detect pulse of current. The purpose of the gas filling is that it helps the electricity flow come to a stop without the intervention of an electrical circuit. The Geiger counter, apart from being named after its inventor, has been deemed a ?counter? because every particle which passes through produces an identical pulse allowing the particles to be counted electronically.

The main types of radiation particles measured by Geiger counters are alpha, beta and gamma. The alpha particles are the least penetrating forms of radiation and are produced by radioactive materials such as uranium and thorium. Beta particles are more intense than alpha ones. The most penetrating form of radiation however consists in the gamma rays. They are only effectively absorbed and shielded by materials of high atomic weight such as lead. The gamma particles are potentially very dangerous. They have the ability of passing through almost anything and can travel through hundreds of feet of air. X-rays are also considered to be potentially hazardous because of their penetrating ability. The main use for X-rays is seeing inside the human body and the internal structure of minerals. Medicine has found X-rays to be extremely useful in destroying cancer cells.

Being able to detect various levels of radioactivity in different environments or objects is crucial nowadays. Radiation can be very hazardous if not treated with care and a radiation detector is a must have in any facility where leakages may occur. There's no doubt about it: Geiger counters are devices of immeasurable importance even now, after almost one hundred years since they were invented.