Page:Radio-activity.djvu/573

Rh gas, and then a rapid falling off. The ionization does not appear to end so abruptly as is really the case, since there is a correction to be applied for the angle subtended by the cone of rays. The maximum range of the α rays in air was 6·7 cms., a number in agreement with that obtained by Bragg by measurements on the range of the rays from radium.

Fig. 108.

These results show that the ionization per unit path of the α particle increases at first slowly and then rapidly with decrease of velocity until the rays cease to ionize the gas.

Energy required to produce an ion. From the above results the energy required to produce an ion by collision of the α particle with the gas molecules can readily be deduced. The α particles, emitted from radium itself, are initially projected with a velocity ·88V_{0}