Geiger counter Hear it!

Geiger counter definition

Gei·ger counter (gər)

an instrument for detecting and counting ionizing particles that pass through it: it consists of a needlelike electrode inside a hollow metallic cylinder filled with gas which, when ionized by the radiation, sets up a current in an electric field: a refined version (Geiger-Müller counter) with an amplifying system is used for detecting and measuring radioactivity

Etymology: after H. Geiger (1882-1945), Ger physicist

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2009 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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