Problem of the knee in the cosmic ray energy spectrum and experimental data concerning the knees for different EAS components

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The behaviour of the primary cosmic ray composition near the knee may be considered as being of fundamental importance in studies of the knee nature. In this paper experimental data obtained with the KASCADE array are considered and patterns of the knees in electron and muon size spectra are compared. Such a comparision provides valuable information to check the consistency of the existing experimental data and model predictions. Improvements in the existing simulation methods are essential to ultimately establish the results of the KASCADE mass composition studies. Evidently some revision of hadronic interaction models is needed to eliminate the discrepancy between mass compositions derived with and without KASCADE hadronic calorimeter data.