How do we measure radiation? Like the unit of measurement, what’s considered normal and what’s considered high.
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We typically measure radiation in units of Rads or Sieverts, which indicate the amount of air kerma from the source. We use the units roentgens and gray to describe how much of the radiation is absorbed by the body or tissue.
In order to detect that radiation we use probes and various instruments. For example, an ion chamber measures how much the radiation ionizes the gas in the chamber. We also have gas filled gieger muller detectors like the pancake or hot dog probe. There’s also scintillating detectors which use a crystal to transmit ionizing events to a photomultiplier tube which is then converted to counts per second and/or milirem/hr.
The above is strictly specific to ionizing radiation. The term radiation covers all energy in the electromagnetic spectrum so I assumed you meant ionizing and not “how do we detect radio waves “…
Normal radiation varies depending on your geological location. Places with higher levels of naturally occurring radioactive elements will have higher levels. Where I am located the background radiation levels are about 10-20 microRem/hr. This is very low. Higher levels typically are considered to be 2 mR/hr and above. Very high radiation levels are considered to be 100mR/hr and above. Dose rates of 300-500 Rem/h are considered to be dangerous to your health. Does that answer your question?
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