# Inverse Square Law in Beta Radiation

Setup: A radioactive source is placed at alternating distances from a Geiger Counter. Counts per second for 10 different distances (each spaced 1 cm apart) were taken for preset times ranging from 200 to 2000 seconds (depending on how far the source is from the counter).

Objective and Question: We are plotting counts per second vs source-to-counter distance for our sample, which emits beta radiation. We expect it to be $\frac{1}{r^2}$ dependance by the inverse square law, however we are getting less than $\frac{1}{r^2}$ dependance for larger distances (i.e) we are getting fewer counts than predicted by the inverse square law. At first we thought it was the air particles interacting with the beta particles, but that shouldn't have anything to do with it (according to the instructor), and the lab question hints it should have something to do with the geometry of the experiment. Can someone please help me understand this problem?

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Betas will range out in air given enough room, but without knowing something about your setup we don't have a chance of advising you on what might be affecting your acceptance. –  dmckee Oct 15 '13 at 16:45
@dmckee I edited my question--what else do you need to know about my setup? –  Bronzeclocksofbenin Oct 15 '13 at 16:55
Why do you think the air propagation distance won't decrease the counts? What is the characteristic penetration depth into air for the beta-particles you are using? How are you integrating your counts? Are you dividing the result by the detection time at each point? –  DumpsterDoofus Oct 15 '13 at 16:58
@DumpsterDoofus My instructor said it's not the air particles. For each run, I am dividing by the preset time for that run. For example, if I have 10000 counts for 200 seconds, my counting rate is then 10000/200=100 cps (counts per second). –  Bronzeclocksofbenin Oct 15 '13 at 17:06
What are the physical dimensions of the GM tube and how is it oriented relative the source? –  dmckee Oct 15 '13 at 17:10