======Cloud Chamber======


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**Materials: **{{$demo.materials_description}}\\
**Difficulty: **{{$demo.difficulty_description}}\\
**Safety: **{{$demo.safety_description}}\\
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**Categories:** {{$demo.categories}}
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**Alternative titles:** Alcohol Cloud Chamber Tracks
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====Summary====                   
{{$demo.summary}}



====Procedure====  
  *Refer to links below for instructions and experiments.



====Links==== 
DIY cloud chamber: no dry ice required - how to make, how it works! - PhysicsHigh: 
{{youtube>gt3Ad5_Z5IA?}}\\

How to build a Cloud Chamber - US LHC: 
{{youtube>xky3f1aSkB8?}}\\

📄 How to make your own cloud chamber - CERN: [[https://home.cern/news/news/experiments/how-make-your-own-cloud-chamber]]\\


====Variations====
  * Take photographs of tracks and compare them to particle identification charts to distinguish different particles.
  * Use a stronger light source or LED strip to improve visibility of tracks.
  * Try placing a weak radioactive source (if legally permitted and supervised) near the chamber to increase the number of visible tracks.
  * Build a larger chamber for group demonstrations.



====Safety Precautions====
  * Handle dry ice with insulated gloves to prevent burns.
  * Work in a well-ventilated area when using isopropanol, and keep away from open flames (it is highly flammable).
  * Ensure the chamber does not leak liquid alcohol onto surfaces.
  * Supervise all student handling of dry ice and alcohol.




====Questions to Consider====
  * Why do the streaks appear inside the chamber? (Charged particles ionize the vapor, and droplets form around ions.)
  * Why are the tracks different shapes and lengths? (Different particles have different charges, masses, and energies.)
  * What does this experiment demonstrate about the invisible world of subatomic particles? (It provides direct, visual evidence of cosmic rays and radiation passing through us constantly.)
  * Why do we use alcohol vapor instead of water vapor? (Alcohol vapor condenses more easily at low temperatures, making particle tracks clearer and more stable.)