A long-lived radioactive source is counted for 1 minute and yields 10,000 counts.If this source is counted immediately again, there is a 95% probability that the result will be in the range:

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Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Counting statistics, besides being Poisson, are also described by a Gaussian distribution as long as the number of counts is greater than approximately 30.Hence given some number of counts C, the standard deviation is automatically known.It is also known that 68% of repeat measures of the sample fall within C ± 11ea6816_3f27_e5fc_b611_6d29a67e5585_TB6242_11 and 95% of repeat measures of the sample fall within C ± 11ea6816_3f27_e5fd_b611_c95e5f862ad8_TB6242_11 , and so on: 95% confidence = C ± 2F1F1F1S1F1F1F10_c = C ± 11ea6816_3f28_0d0e_b611_7f3c275e31c9_TB6242_11 .

A Long-Lived Radioactive Source Is Counted for 1 Minute and Yields