The+Effect+Of+Location+On+Cosmic+Ray+Detection

Aron R   Cary Academy ** ABSTRACT  ** The purpose of the experiment was to determine if the location of a cloud chamber affects the amount of cosmic rays detected. After conducting several observations, it was hypothesized that when the cloud chamber was placed in a location where it was more directly facing the open sky, more cosmic rays would be detected. To test this, a cloud chamber was first carefully constructed. Then, it was placed inside on the first floor of a school building. Next, the light was turned on and the timer was set for 1 min and started once the first few trails became visible. The number of trails sighted was then recorded until time was up. After that, two more trials were performed in the same location the exact same way as the first. Then, six more trials were preformed. Three were done upstairs and three were done outside. Once the experiment was completed, it was found that the hypothesis was proved to be correct, and the three trials outside were the ones that had the highest results and average. It was also found that each time the detector was moved up one floor, the number of cosmic rays detected increased by about 10. Last of all, it was concluded that the location in which a cloud chamber is placed in does affect the amount of cosmic rays detected.
 * THE EFFECT OF LOCATION ON COSMIC RAY DETECTION  **