Introduction

For each type of classroom experiment, the results obtained by teacher or student researchers are categorized in the table below. While “Ideas” briefly introduce the experiment and bring up important questions for considerations, they leave the procedure up to the student. The “Student Notes” are materials prepared by teachers for their students. The "Teacher Notes" are detailed write-ups or presentations, including that teacher’s procedure, data analysis, and results. We recommend not giving the students this much detail, but letting them design an experiment on their own. When available, raw data is included for comparison with your own experiments or for data analysis practice.

Refer to the Experiments Overview for a discussion of:

• the difference between the terms count, rate, and flux
• how long runs should be
• how far apart the paddles should be
• where shielding (or absorber) should be placed and how much there should be

Refer to the following links for instructions on two different methods for performing Time of Flight Calibrations (Do you need to calibrate? If so, which method is appropriate for your experiment?):

• TOF Calibration by Running with Paddles Close Together
• TOF Calibration by Switching Paddles

Table of Classroom Experiments

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Credit has been given to the authors when their names were included in the documents; please email us to have a document identified as your work or to indicate the date.

If you would like to share the results of an experiment your class has performed, please email us a copy of your work!