Science Buddies: "Ask an Expert"

Please help with the analysis of the radon radioactivity. The Multimeter is set at 20 DCV and the reading post 2 hr collection is consistently 2.03. Trying to figure out what that translates into for approximate amount of radon in the basement. Thanks!!!

Hello!
Are you a student doing a science project in grades K-12? If so tell us more about your project and your hypotheses. If you are not a student, there are other websites on the internet where your questions would be more appropriate. Thank you.

Yes, it is my 11th grade daughter’s engineering project to construct the collector/detector. Just after all the web searches, she has been unable to conver the 2.03 reading on the multimeter to actual amount of radon.

Hello, Thank you for clarifying that. Is your daughter doing this Science Buddies project?

https://www.sciencebuddies.org/science- ... or#summary

Looking at "Testing" step 7 in the Procedures section, this suggests that you might need to change the setting on the multimeter. See if changing the setting changes the reading. Also, move the detector to another location and see if that changes the reading.

In the meantime, I will see if another Science Buddies expert knows how to interpret the reading levels!

Yes, that is the one. She actually constructed that detector and another off another site. She has tried different materials and still the same reading within 0.01. Thanks so much for your help!

Hi Andieangelini,

The voltage reading from your detector is proportional to the radon level. You can use your detector to measure relative radon levels (as voltage readings) in different locations around your house (basement, outdoors, living room, etc). To convert from voltage to radon amount you would have to calibrate your detector. This means that you'd need a detector voltage reading from a known amount of radon.

I found an earlier forum discussion that describes a way to calibrate the radon detector:

viewtopic.php?t=8612

I hope this helps. Please ask again if you have more questions.

A. Norman