International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE) Physics Practice Exam

Ionizing radiation can be detected using a Geiger-Muller detector, which is specifically designed to measure various types of radiation, including alpha particles, beta particles, and gamma rays. This device works on the principle of ionization: when ionizing radiation passes through the gas in the detector, it ionizes some of the gas atoms, producing charged particles. These charged particles can then be detected as an electrical pulse, which the device counts and displays.

The Geiger-Muller detector is widely used because of its effectiveness in identifying the presence of ionizing radiation and providing immediate results, making it an essential tool in fields such as health physics, environmental monitoring, and radiological safety.

In contrast, infrared sensors are designed to detect infrared radiation, not ionizing radiation, and would not respond to the types of radiation typically of concern in nuclear and radiation safety. Measuring temperature changes is not a method for detecting ionizing radiation, as temperature variations might not correlate with the presence of radioactive materials. Lastly, ionizing radiation does not produce sound waves that can be detected in the way acoustic sensors work, as ionizing radiation is primarily a form of electromagnetic radiation or charged particles. Therefore, the Geiger-Muller detector is uniquely suited for this purpose.