Laboratory Measurement
Measuring Radioactivity: Basic Operating Principle
Unlike other materials that we commonly have a need to measure, we cannot weigh radioactivity or collect it in a box, just as we cannot weigh nor collect sunshine in a box. However, we can measure it indirectly by measuring the effects that it causes. Unlike that portion of sunshine that we can see, invisible nuclear radiation produces an electrical effect in materials through which it passes. If we measure the electrical effect, we can determine how much radiation passed through the materials. This is the basic operating principle for measuring radioactivity. There are various types of radioactivity and different systems are used for their measurement.
