STI College Dasmariñas

N. Guevara St.,Brgy. Zone 1,

Dasmariñas, Cavite

Senior High School Department

“The effect of Geographical setting in detecting stray muon particle

using cloud chamber”

An undergraduate research
Presented to the SHS Math Department of
STI College Dasmariñas

In partial fulfillment of
Requirements for the

Allanares, Mydel G.
Ancheta, Shania Joy M.
Dumpit, Winnie Mae
Felicin, Maria Kyle N.
Inghog, Brendessa Mae
Lagunzing, Jesica I.

HUMSS -121
S.Y 2017-2018
 Chapter I: Introduction

Background of the study

Charles Wilson, a Scottish Physicist is the inventor of Cloud Chamber.

He discovered that ions act as centers for water droplet formation such

chambers. He pursued the application of the discovery and perfected the first

cloud chamber in 1911. Along with Arthur Compton, an American physicist,

received Nobel Prize for physics in 1927. The cloud chamber, is used for

detecting particles of ionizing radiation. It is a sealed environment containing a

supersaturated, vapor of water or alcohol. A cloud chamber makes the invisible

visible allowing us to see delicate and wispy proof that there are tiny particles

whose story starts in outer space shooting through all of us. It is a device that

makes visible the paths of particles emitted as a result of radioactive decay.

One of the cloud chamber’s greatest claims to fame is that it was used to

discover the positron, the first observed form of anti-matter. We conduct this

research to be able to know if geographical setting affects the result of the

experiment and the importance of detecting stray muon particle.

Statement of the problem

The study is mainly guided by the following research questions:

1.) What are the effects of geographical settings in detecting stray muon

particles using cloud chambers?

a. Location 1 - Dasmariñas

b. Location 2 – General Trias

c. Location 3 – Imus

d. Location 4 – Silang

2.) Does the material used affect the detected result of experiment?

3.) What is the effect of the detected stray muon particles in a particular

location?

Significance of the study

The cloud chamber played an important role in the study of the structure

of matter. For several decades the cloud-chamber method was virtually the

only visual method for detecting nuclear radiation. In recent years, however,

the cloud chamber has given way to bubble and scintillating chambers.

(Moscow, 1963).

The importance of cloud chamber experiment helps us to illustrates or

visualize the passage of ionizing radiation through this experiment we can

detected the stray muon particles, it is possible to observe the result of

radioactive decay. Through the use of cloud chamber we will be able to

determine which type of stray muon particle travels from it. This will help us to

immediate understand that there is a particle in this world and it will help us

to learn ionization process, cosmic rays, radioactive decays, and so on.

Hypothesis

The cloud chamber consists of a glass container, on the top of glass

container it allow us to see the black interior which sits on dry ice. The dark

cloth filled with alcohol and placed around the container near the top. The

flashlight helps us to detect the radioactivity and radiation.

Because of basic informations and knowledge of studying, what is Cloud

Chamber. We concluded that the temperature, the geographical setting and the

materials will use or may affect the form of stray muon particle created by the

cloud chamber.

 If the temperature of location is extremely hot or cold, it is possible

for the dry ice to melt easily or to maintain its freezing state then it

may affect the result of the experiment because dry ice has the

great role of the experiment.

 The geographical setting. If the location given is at Silang, the place

is elevated compared to the location of Imus, it somehow affect also

the result of the experiment.

 Materials used, example; if the flashlight is dim, the possibility

outcome is that we can’t see clearly the muon created. Another

example is; if we put too much of isopropyl alcohol, he result may

 affect and also change due to the evaporation and the process of

the experiment.

Definition of terms

 Cosmic rays – are atom fragments that rain down on the Earth

from outside of solar system.

 Delicate – easily broken or damage

 Emit(tted) – to send (light, energy, etc.) out from a source

 Geography – an area of study that deals with the location of

countries, cities, rivers, mountains, lakes, etc.

 Ion – an atom or group of atoms that has a positive or negative

electric charge from losing or gaining one or more electrons.

 Matter - the thing that forms physical objects and occupies space.

 Nuclear – of, relating to, producing, or using energy that is created

when the nuclei of atoms are split apart or joined together.

 Particles – any one of the very small parts of matter (such as

molecule, atom, electron)

 Positron – a very small particle of matter that has a positive charge

of electricity and that travels around the nucleus of an atom

 Radiation – a type of dangerous and powerful energy that is

produced by radioactive substances and nuclear reactions

 Radioactive – having or producing a powerful dangerous form of

energy (called radiation)

 Scintillating – very clever, amusing, and interesting
 Chapter II: Review of Related Literature

Local

Cosmic Rays are emitted by the stars like bodies that are undergoing

nuclear reaction that is fussion (as occurs in our sun) or fission (as occurs in

nuclear reactors). Mars is not a star but a planet that just reflects sunlight. It

cannot emit cosmic radiation.

In addition, the magnetosphere of the Earth absorbs and protects us

from the sun’s harmful radiation. Whatever remains is too feeble to affect

anything as far as Earth.

- Abs-cbn news report about the hoax message

- circulates on text messages (2014)

International

A muon can be characterized by its heavy mass, about 105,7 MeV/c2.

It’s similar to the electron, but its mass is 201 times bigger. The muon is

changed negatively, being symbolized as µ-. Anti-muons are symbolized as µ+

and have an equal mass and spin of ½, it is classified as lepton, just like the

electron, the tau, and the elektronneutrino, muonneutrino and tauoneutrino,

being part of the fermions. Muons are not just particles they belong to the

Standard Model, being of the second generation, behind the electron.

 Every minute, about 10,000 muons reach the earth’s surface per square

meter, they arrive as by-products of cosmic rays. Most of them do not reach the

earth vertically, but under an angle of 12