Help Solving Physics Exam Question on Gamma Rays Counting Rate

AI Thread Summary
The discussion revolves around solving a physics exam question regarding the counting rate of gamma rays emitted by a radioactive source. The problem involves determining the error in the counting rate per second based on 10,000 counts recorded in 20 seconds. Participants identify that the Poisson distribution is the relevant statistical model for this scenario, as it describes the number of counts in a fixed interval. The error in the counting rate is calculated using the square root of the counts, resulting in an error of approximately 22.4 counts per second. This highlights the importance of understanding statistical distributions in physics problems involving random events.
DM107
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Hi,

I came across a question in an exam which I couldn't really relate to any topic of physics, that I had studied.
It goes like this-

A detector is used to count the number of gamma rays emitted by a radioactive source. If the number of counts recorded in exactly 20 seconds is 10000, the error in the counting rate per second is?

Can someone please let me know what concept is involved so that I can try and solve it?
 
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What is the statistical distribution which describes the number of counts in 20 s?
 
No distribution was given with the question Dale.
 
The distribution for this kind of problem won't be given in the question itself. It is well known and would certainly have been covered extensively in the reading.

Which distributions were covered in the reading, and what do those distributions describe?
 
I got it Dale. Its poisson distribution.
and the error in counting rate per second will be sqroot(500) which is 22.4.

Thanks a lot!
 
Good job!
 
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