MainPage:Nuclear:Summer2013:RadiationEffectsPlants
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Brief Description of Goals
General
This experiment will test the effect of different levels and type of radioactivity in radioisotopes implemented in soil of plants on bean plant growth and development. This is significant because these radioisotopes are utilized in everyday life including the use of Am-241 in smoke detectors and medical diagnostics; Cs-137 in cancer treatment; and Sr-90 in bone cancer treatment and eye treatment.
Cosmic Ray Detector
This website provides in-depth directions on how to construct a cosmic ray detector, and although not all of the materials are available, it's instructions provide us with a backbone from which we can design our own detector [1]
We have also done calculations according to the procedure laid out by this procedure:
ΔΩ=(A/4πR^2)*4π
Where ΔΩ equals the subtended solid angle (in steradians) of the cone the two detectors make, A equals the area of the paddle, and R equals the distance from the center of one paddle to a corner of the other.
flux=ΔΩ*Fv*A
Where Fv equals the published value for flux at sea level, which equals 0.66/(cm squared*min*steradians)
The purpose of this detector is to establish an uncertainty of the fluctuation of cosmic radiation which contributes to the uncertainty of the overall radiation effecting the plants being tested. It also provides a method to check the dosage of the varying types of radiation from the following radioisotopes.
| Source | Initial Activity | Input Date | Current Activity | Radioactive Particle Distribution |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bi-210 | 12 μCi | 11/3/1972 | 0 μCi | Alpha and very low Gamma |
| Cs-137 | 2.3 μCi | 7/1/1988 | 1.3 μCi | Gamma and Beta |
| Cs-137 | 17.8 μCi | 10/15/1965 | 5.92 μCi | Gamma and Beta |
| Cs-137 | 3.86 μCi | 10/15/1965 | 1.28 μCi | Gamma and Beta |
| UO2 - Ore | (1.90 g) | Alpha and Beta | ||
| Am-241 | 0.1 μCi | 10/1965 | 0.09 μCi | Primarily emits alpha, but also gamma |
| Co-60 | unknown | Gamma | ||
| Ru-106 | 5.5 μCi | 2/2/1977 | 1.05E-10 μCi | Alpha |
| Sr-90 | 0.1 μCi | 6/2003 | 0.1 μCi | Beta |
| Sr-90 | 0.1 μCi | 6/2003 | 0.1 μCi | Beta |