Radium Clock #1

This is my favorite radium clock! And I actually have six clocks in my room.

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• radium
• clock
• radiation
• alpha
• gamma
• amethyst8teen
• geiger
• counter
• glow
• UV
• light
• antique

[amethyst8teen]

Thanks! so do I!

[Barnekkid]

That's a nice clock, really art-deco looking. Don't sleep with it under your pillow.

[amethyst8teen]

@Barnekkid lol I'll be sure not to.

[clony101]

to ine the cilinder use water because that is what stops radioactivity. they use it in nuclear power plants to cooldown and keep the radioactivity lvls down to a suprisingly almost nothing and before it was enough to kill you ifyou stood next to it.(hope this helps;).)

[amethyst8teen]

That being said, thank you for the advice, you've inspired me to do some experiments and possibly make a video out of it. Oh and regular water is used to cool the reactor but plays a very small part in shielding it.

[f123raptor]

@amethyst8teen Also, some more radium fun.... Radium only produces alpha particles. While radium doesn't actually produce beta particles or gamma rays, the decay byproducts of the radium do. Radium is also almost 1 million times more radioactive than an equal mass of uranium 235. Radium was discovered by the Curies, and their lab books are too "radioactive" to be handled. Also, clocks are used for keeping track of time.... :)

[f123raptor]

@amethyst8teen For gamma rays....lol, now the ironic part. Since you mentioned you don't want to use lead as a shielding material, uranium works great! Depleted uranium is roughly 5 times better at shielding against gamma rays than lead! Though, if you're prejudiced against lead, safe to assume you're not a big fan of depleted uranium either.... depending on the intensity, thick aluminum could work, sand, concrete...the denser the material the better.

[f123raptor]

@amethyst8teen The reason one might use heavy water to moderate a reactor is to produce plutonium and/or tritium. A few millimeters even of aluminum can be used to stop most beta particles, though you might consider positioning the material in the middle of a box several times bigger than the clock for distance as alpha particles don't travel far because they are relatively massive, which is also what makes the so damaging.

[f123raptor]

@amethyst8teen Some good 'fyi' - generally speaking water is a good radiation 'shield' across the board. Heavy water can be used but is less effective than very pure 'normal' or 'light' water because the nuclei of heavy water hydrogen atoms are less likely to absorb the radiating neutrons (because they already have extra neutrons in their nuclei). Being good for slowing down the neutrons/decreasing the number of neutrons is essentially one and the same as 'shielding' against them.

[Modrih]

Nice clock :) I like it.

[ubuntupokemoninc]

what i like about his is its more dangerous than my other clocks!

your funny!

[mashersmasher]

is that radium glass as well? that's a really nice clock btw!