How do you measure background count rate?

To measure the background count rate, you use a radiation detector, such as a Geiger-Müller counter, in a location away from any known radiation sources. The detector is activated for a specific duration, typically ranging from several minutes to an hour, to accumulate counts of natural background radiation. The count data is then averaged over the measurement time to obtain the background count rate, usually expressed in counts per minute (CPM) or counts per second (CPS). It's important to conduct multiple measurements to ensure statistical reliability.