Title: Refraction

Date: April 18,2016

Name: Leonora Goçaj

Laboratory partners: Siarra Hyland

Gentian Muhaxheri

Class: Physics 167-08 LB

Day and time: Thursday 4:00-5:40 pm

Abstract:
 The transmission of light across a boundary between two media is supplemented

by a change in both the speed and wavelength of the wave. The refraction is the change

of direction at the boundary. Students measured the angles of incidence and refraction at

a boundary between media, observed total internal reflection at a boundary between

media and calculated the critical angle of a boundary between media. Willebrord Snell’s

law describes the relationship between the angle of incidence of a beam of light as it

intersects a new transparent medium and the angle of refraction as enters that transparent

medium. The index of refraction of a medium represents the ration of the speed of light in

a vacuum to the speed of light in the medium. The critical angle is the angle of incidence

at which light begins to reflect, rather than refract.

The transparent medium composed of two non-parallel polished surfaces is known

as a prism and when the light travels through a prism such that it enters one side and

exists another, the total deviation, in the ray leaving the second side from the original

angle of incidence is dependent on the index of refraction and the angle between the two

sides of the prism. Furthermore, the total deviation on the angle depends on the angle of

incidence of the light at the first face of the prism. The angle of refraction at the second

face is equal to the angle of incidence at the first face when the light passes

symmetrically through the prism.

The apparatus that were used are straight filament lamp, ruler, protractor, Lucite

prism and ruler. Students placed a blank paper on the desk and arranged the light source

and prism so that the narrow beam of light was incident on the prism. The prism was

adjusted so that the angle of incidence on the first surface was between 45 to 60 degrees.

The outline of the prism and the ray of the paper were traced using two dots made with
the sharp pencil to determine the direction of a straight line. The steps above were

repeated with a second surface with an angle of incidence greater than 60 degrees. The

prism and the beam of light were adjusted so that the angle of refraction at the second

surface was 90 degrees. The last was to rotate the prism until the angle of deviation was

a minimum and then trace the outline of the prism and the beam of light and it was

repeated again using the other angle of the prism,which was less than 90 degrees as the

refracting angle.

Data:

All conducted raw data will be attached at the end of this laboratory report.

Caclulations:

Measurement Value (in degrees)

Angle of incidence (first surface) 46

Angle of refraction (first surface) 31

Angle of incidence (second surface) 60

Angle of refraction (second surface) 35

Critical angle 42

Angle of minimum deviation (narrow end) 29

Angle of prism (narrow end) 45

Angle of minimum deviation (wide end) 38

Angle of prism (wide end) 60

1. n1sin(θ1)=n sin(θ2)
2
1st surface,

(n1/n2)= sin(θ1) /sin(θ2)

= sin(46)/sin(31)= 1.40

2nd surface,

(n1/n2)= sin(θ1)/sin(θ2)

= sin(60)/sin(35)

= 1.51

2. Index of refraction from the Critical angle

1 1
nrefraction = = =1.49
sin θcritical sin 42 °

3. n= [sin(δ+α)/2]/[sin(α/2)], δ1 = 29°, δ2= 38° , α1= 45° , α2= 60°

n 1 = sin[(29+45)/2] / sin(45°/2)

= 1.57

n2= sin[(38+60)/2] / sin(60/2)

= 1.51

4. Average (x) = (A +A +A )/(X)

(1.40+1.51+1.49+1.57+1.51)/ 5 = 1.50

c
5. n=
v

c
v=
n

c = 3 x 108 m/s and n =1.50, v= (3 x 108 m/s)/1.50= 2.00 x 108m/s

The results do acknowledge Snell’s law and have improved student’s skills to measure

angles and direction of light. Sources of error could be the dimensions of the prism,

material of the prism was made out of, and the light source used. The errors within the

prism could have been improved if the prism was possibly a different shape. The light

source used could produce more or less light to make the experiment more accurate.

Students got the mean average value for the index of refraction for Lucite prism same as

the accepted value (n=1.50).