Wednesday+September+26th,+2012

Today I arrived at the Quarknet labratory, and as soon as I arrived, I was told about the Cosmic Ray Detector and how it works. The tests were about three quarters of the way finished when I arrived, with the test collecting data in 5 minute intervals with 10 degree angle changes. Once the test was finished the data was saved and it was uploaded into a file for analyzing the current data set. The data set was slowly analyzed and when it was finished, it did not look normal. It had multiple data sets in the same area, and a data group on a completely opposite side of the graph. The data set was thrown out, because it was said to be useless. A new data set was going to be started, after we discovered what was wrong with the detector. The problem was that the machine was operating in the light, when it should be operating in the dark. When operating in the light the machine picks up more particles than it should, from the lights in the ceiling. After turning all the major lights in the room off such as the ceiling lights, and the projector, we started to get more accurate readings from the machine. Then we were told what a two fold coincidence is. A two fold coincidence is when a muon passes through the detector hitting both of the detector panels, happening multiple times. When analyzed if it occurs multiple times in a short period of time it may not be a coincidence any longer. John showed us the many eyes website, showing us what could possibly be a Cosmic Ray, and sent us the link to the site for more information. Once I accessed the link I had to download a plug in to allow the program to run without any problems. This is what I found with the help of other classmates. After finding these interesting photos, I had to leave at around 5:30. 