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Poster for Everyday Radioactivity (1960)

Everyday Radioactivity (1960)

1960 · Short film · 30 min

Synopsis

A Mr. Wizard film. Introduces the viewer to three types of radiation; Alpha, Beta, Gamma. Shows operation of vintage geiger counters. Scintillation counter coupled with multi-channel analyzer (Huge Tube Unit, 1960's?). Shows in-depth theory of gamma energy measurement. Explanation of background radiation.

Uploader's description on archive.org

Details

Running time
30 minutes

Reviews on the Internet Archive

★★★★ · Wonderful primer on radiation and detection instruments · Braniac · 2008-02-28

A must-see. Classic Mr. Wizard. If you're familiar with radiation, you will be bored by the introduction to alpha, beta, and gamma radiation. However, in the first part, you will enjoy the scientific process to determine the source of radiation, the type of radiation it is emitting, and the explanation of how Geiger detectors and scintillation counters work. A classic example of the greatness of Don Herbert (Mr. Wizard). Great nostalgia for elementary school. Great nostalgia for your old science teachers, and rainy Saturday afternoons doing physics and chemistry experiments in the basement.…

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