Detection of radioactivity

1 Know what is meant by background radiation

2 Know the sources that make a significant contribution to background radiation including:

(a) radon gas (in the air)

(b) rocks and buildings

(c) food and drink

(d) cosmic rays

3 Know that ionising nuclear radiation can be measured using a detector connected to a counter

4 Use count rate measured in counts / s or counts / minute

5 Use measurements of background radiation to determine a corrected count rate