Spinthariscope

spinthariscope

[spin′thar·ə‚skōp]

(electronics)

An instrument for viewing the scintillations of alpha particles on a luminescent screen, usually with the aid of a microscope.

McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific & Technical Terms, 6E, Copyright © 2003 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

The following article is from The Great Soviet Encyclopedia (1979). It might be outdated or ideologically biased.

Spinthariscope

 

a demonstration instrument for the visual observation of alpha particles. The device has a screen coated with a luminescent substance. When an alpha particle strikes the screen, a faint scintillation is produced that can be observed by the eye. The spinthariscope was the forerunner of the scintillation counter.

The Great Soviet Encyclopedia, 3rd Edition (1970-1979). © 2010 The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved.