A Study of Cosmic Rays

A Study of Cosmic Rays Cosmic rays are a form of radiation associated with a group of elementary particles, such as muons and various nuclei. Muons are the most common of these particles which can be detected at sea level. These particles lose energy as they travel through the atmosphere. One would suspect that particles which travel through the atmosphere at angles close to the zenith would result in a higher flux, compared to those at lower angles, as the travel a shorter distance to the ground. It has been thought that the flux of these particles would be closely related with the square of the cosine of the angle of these particles from the zenith. We should also expect a higher rate of detection at higher altitudes compared to the rate at sea level. The goal of this presentation is to demonstrate the accuracy of these statements using an apparatus consisting of three Geiger tubes connected to a coincidence box and counter