The Energy Loss of Positive Electrons in Passing Through Aluminum

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Abstract
The energy loss of positive electrons between the energies of 0.3 and 1.5 Mev has been determined in a hydrogenfilled cloud chamber for three thicknesses of aluminum. The positive electrons, which were obtained by bombarding iron with deuterons, were passed through aluminum absorbers of 0.0275, 0.053, and 0.114 cm thickness, and the values of the average energy loss were compared with the values predicted by the theoretical formula of Bloch. The value of the average energy loss for the 0.0275 cm thickness was 0.123 Mev, which is roughly 20 percent greater than the theoretical value; whereas for the 0.053 cm thickness, the loss was 0.274 Mev, an increase in difference to 40 percent. A direct comparison of the energy lost by the negative electron with that lost by the positive electron was made using electrons obtained from radioactive phosphorus. The results show that there is no essential difference in the amount of energy lost by the two particles.