BRINGING NUCLEAR SCIENCE INTO THE CLASSROOM

Turn invisible radiation into measurable, real-time data.

The CNS Geiger Counter Program puts a classroom-safe digitial detector and ready-made experiments in teachers’ hands – replacing fear and misconceptions with curiosity

Download Educator Guide Request a Kit

01 – THE INSTRUMENT

What is it, and how it works

A geiger counter detects ionizing radiation – the tiny energetic particles and waves that come from natural sources all around us, in the ground, the air, our food, and even from space.

The CNS program uses the GQ GMC-600 series, a classroom-safe digital Geiger-Müller detector. Inside is a Geiger-Müller tube – a small chamber filled with gas. When a particle of raidiation enters the tube:

1. It ionizes the gas, knocking electrons loose
2. The device detects the resulting electrial pulse
3. The counter records it as a “click,” or a count

Students can watch the number change in real time, or connect the device to a laptop to view live graphs. The display shows three readouts.

1. CPS – Counts per second
2. CPM – Counter per minute
3. Dose Rate – µSv/h

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Term	Plain-language meaning
Ionizing radiation	Energetic particles or waves with enough energy to knock electrons loose from atoms
CPM	Counts per minute, or how often the detector registers a radiation event
Dose (mSv)	A measure of radiation energy absorbed by the body, used to compare exposures
Background radiation	The natural radiation always present from the ground, air, food, and space
Half-life	The time it takes for half of a radioactive sample to decay
Shielding	A material that blocks or reduces radiation passing through it

02 – FIVE CLASSROOM EXPERIMENTS

Try It: simple, safe experiments

All activities use naturally ocurring, low-level sources safe for classroom use. Full step-by-step instructions live in the educator guide.

03 – FOR TEACHERS

Get a kit, get support

Everything a teacher needs to bring a kit into their classroom – requesting one, troubleshooting it, and fitting it into a course

Educators interested in participating in the CNS Geiger Counter Program can request a Geiger counter and access the Educator Guide by contacting the Canadian Nuclear Society.

To learn more or request a Geiger counter for your classroom, please email: ecc@cns-snc.ca

04 – REFERENCE LIBRARY

Fact Sheets, tools and further reading