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A radiation detection and measuring instrument. It consists of a
gas-filled tube containing electrodes, between which there is an electrical
voltage, but no current flowing. When ionizing radiation passes through the
tube, a short, intense pulse of current passes from the negative electrode to
the positive electrode and is measured or counted. The number of pulses per
second measures the intensity of the radiation field. It was named for Hans
Geiger and W. Mueller, who invented it in the 1920s. It is sometimes called
simply a Geiger counter or a G-M counter, and is the most commonly used
portable radiation instrument.
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