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Introduction

For most of humanity’s history, the mysteries of the infinite abyss of space have

remained just that; mysteries. Prior to the 1750s, telescopes used only lenses made up of

one type of glass to view the cosmos. As a result of this, images seen through the

telescope would produce confusing images. A star, when viewed through the telescope,

would often contain confusing color schemes. One half of the image might have appeared

to be red, while the other half may have appeared blue, an anomaly known as chromatic

aberration. This issue was not fixed until the invention of the achromatic lens.

Achromatic lenses work using different types of glass, crown glass and flint glass being

the main two, to counteract the light diffusion that occurred with previous iterations of

telescopes and allowed them to see a much clearer image. Using these glass lenses, this

issue of color incorrection was solved. But if colored light is shone through the glass,

wouldn’t the view be even better?

This experiment was based on that concept, where colored light can be used to

improve the boundaries of human knowledge of space. To do so, the refractory

capabilities of light with different wavelengths, and therefore colors, were tested. This

was done by testing three different colors of laser through an acrylic semicircular prism

and measuring the difference between the incident angle, the angle where the laser

entered the prism, and the final angle of the beam compared to the normal line of the

prism. The incident angle of the laser was kept constant throughout each trial to better

calculate the angular difference between the wavelengths of the light, which was kept at

145 degrees, or 55 degrees from the normal line, as measured by a protractor underneath

the acrylic prism.

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By examining whether differing wavelengths of light have an effect on their

refractory differences, the results could be used to improve commercial and specialized

telescopes, microscopes, and binoculars. Given that there is a significant difference in the

refractory difference of different wavelengths of light, colored light could be integrated

into these products to provide variant views in these scoped instruments to improve their

information gathering capabilities and possibly facilitate further scientific discoveries. In

terms of telescopes, this could mean that an in-depth view of previously unknown

astronomical bodies is possible to gather simply by using colored light in a high powered

telescope. Because the light shone into these telescopes is colored, it may also highlight

unseen features in existing astronomical bodies that were previously impossible to

observe.
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Review of Literature

Refraction is the fascinating property of light in which it bends as it goes through

different mediums. A common example of refraction in the real world is placing a straw

in a glass of water and observing the way it appears to be bent, as shown below in Figure

1.

Figure 1. Light Refraction in Water. Photograph from Dr. Roy

Winkelman, “Refraction,” 2012

This bending of the straw occurs because the speed of light varies as it passes

through various materials such as water or glass. Interestingly, different colors of light

will refract differently through the same medium, which provides the basis for the

experiment that was performed. This is because the different colors have differing

wavelengths.

The most common way of measuring light and other waves is by their length,

leading to the term wavelength. The wavelength of a wave is the distance between two

consecutive crests of the wave, measured most commonly in nanometers, or “nm” in

short. The wavelength of a wave affects the color of the wave when absorbed by the
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human mind, with shorter wavelengths on the violet end of the spectrum and longer

wavelengths on the red end of the spectrum. The spectrum in question is the

Electromagnetic Spectrum, or “Observable Light Spectrum”, which categorizes all types

of light that the human brain can comprehend.

Figure 2. Observable Light Spectrum. Photograph from Peter Kaiser, The Joy of
Visual Perception: A Web Book, 1996.

Figure 2 shows the Observable Light Spectrum, which is only a small section of

wavelengths that humans have observed to exist.

An object’s Index of Refraction is the property of a transparent or otherwise

translucent material to bend light waves that pass through it from one medium to another.

The Index of Refraction is calculated using the speed of light divided by the velocity of

light within the given medium, which for example is 1.333 in standard water (Riordan-

Eva 1). Alternatively, the Index of Refraction can be calculated using two known angles

of light in two different mediums (the angle of the initial beam of light, or “Incident

Ray”, and the angle of the refracted beam) and the Index of Refraction of one of the

mediums by using Snell’s Law, which states that the refractive index of the first medium

divided by the refractive index of the second medium is equal to the sine of the angle of
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the refracted beam divided by the sine of the angle of the incident ray, notated as

n1 sin(θ2 )
= .
n2 sin(θ1 )

This concept has been explored before, however. The properties of light when

refracted through a prism were explored by Mario Silveirinha and his team, documented

as “Anomalous Refraction of Light Colors by a Metamaterial Prism”. Associated with the

University of Coimbra in Portugal, Silveirinha and his team detailed how the refraction of

light, when shone through a prism, is different based on the color of the light that is used.

It was observed that “violet” light, light with a shorter wavelength, is more refracted than

“red” light, light with a longer wavelength. This is similar in concept to the experiment

performed, which made it suitable as a source of information for this experiment.

Another experiment performed was that by W.A. Thornton in association with the

Journal of the Optical Society of America on the difference of wavelengths in a

spectrometer, titled “Luminosity and Color-Rendering Capability of White Light”. In this

experiment, Thornton tests the difference of colors to be used in the composition of white

light and what effects they have on the testing spectrometer. By using these different

wavelengths of light, as in different colors, the resulting white light acquires different

properties, such as different refractive properties. Because of this, this experiment was

determined relevant for the current experiment, as different wavelengths of light cause a

difference in the refractive angle of the resulting light.

Light, as a concept, is often taken for granted in everyday life, as it is an essential

component of continued human existence. However, light has the capability to become a

tool used to extend human knowledge and influence farther than it has ever gone before,
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which is why this experiment was conducted. Using the various properties of light, as

well as the research already done, it can be used to provide a better understanding of what

exists outside of human reach.

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Problem Statement

Problem:

To determine the effect of the wavelength of light on its refractive angle when

shone through a prism made of standard glass with an index of refraction of 1.52 at a

consistent initial angle.

Hypothesis:

When a light with the shortest wavelength, a violet light, is shone through the

prism, it will have the greatest difference in the angle of refraction.

Data Measured:

The independent variable in this experiment is the wavelength of the light of

typically Green, Violet, and Red lights that is being shone through the prism, measured in

nanometers. The dependent variable of the experiment is the refractive angle of the light

after it is shone through the prism in degrees. The intended statistical analysis of this

experiment is multiple Two-Sample t Tests to determine the existence of a statistically

significant difference of the refractive angle due to wavelength between each laser. This

experiment underwent 90 trials to ensure proper collection of data, 30 trials per laser.
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Experimental Design

Materials:

660 nm Wavelength Red Laser Semicircular Acrylic Prism

540 nm Wavelength Green Laser Protractor
405 nm Wavelength Violet Laser TI-Nspire Calculator
White Poster Board Backdrop

Procedures:

1. Randomly select the light for the chosen trial. To see the randomization
process, refer to Appendix A

2. Place the prism, protractor, and light onto a flat surface, and mark a line
where the light intersects with the prism

3. Place the poster board around both the prism and light so that the light’s
final destination is clearly visible on the backdrop

4. Align the laser with the reference angle of 145 degrees on the protractor

5. Activate the laser

6. Using the protractor, measure the angular difference between the initial
angle and the angle of the refracted beam of light

7. Repeat steps 1-3 for each wavelength of light 30 times and record the
angles into an organized data table

Diagram:
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Figure 3. Laser Diagram

Figure 3, shown above, is a diagram of the experimental setup. The laser is shone

into a prism and refracted out at a different angle. There is a wall behind the prism to

easily see where the laser is as it exits the prism. Not shown is the protractor and the TI-

Nspire calculator.

Data and Observations

Table 1
Table of Angular Differences
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Trial Laser Refracted Angular Trial Laser Refracted Angular

Number Color Angle (°) Difference (°) Number Color Angle (°) Difference (°)
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1 V 120 25 24 R 120 25
2 R 125 20 25 G 120 25
3 G 125 20 26 R 120 25
4 V 115 30 27 V 115 30
5 R 125 20 28 G 125 20
6 V 120 25 29 R 120 25
7 V 120 25 30 V 120 25
8 R 120 25 31 V 120 25
9 G 120 25 32 R 120 25
10 R 125 20 33 R 125 20
11 V 115 30 34 V 115 30
12 R 130 15 35 V 120 25
13 R 125 20 36 R 120 25
14 G 120 25 37 R 120 25
15 V 120 25 38 V 115 30
16 V 120 25 39 V 120 25
17 R 120 25 40 G 120 25
18 R 130 15 41 R 120 25
19 R 120 25 42 R 130 15
20 R 125 20 43 V 120 25
21 V 110 35 44 R 125 20
22 R 130 15 45 G 120 25
23 G 125 20

Trial Laser Refracted Angular Trial Laser Refracted Angular

Number Color Angle (°) Difference (°) Number Color Angle (°) Difference (°)
46 R 130 15 69 G 120 25
47 R 130 15 70 R 125 20
48 V 130 15 71 G 120 25
49 G 130 15 72 V 115 30
50 G 125 20 73 R 125 20
51 G 120 25 74 G 120 25
52 R 130 15 75 G 120 25
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53 R 130 15 76 R 120 25
54 R 130 15 77 V 120 25
55 V 120 25 78 G 125 20
56 V 120 25 79 G 120 25
57 V 115 30 80 G 125 20
58 G 125 20 81 G 120 25
59 R 125 20 82 G 120 25
60 G 130 15 83 V 120 25
61 V 110 35 84 V 115 30
62 V 115 30 85 G 120 25
63 G 125 20 86 V 115 30
64 G 120 25 87 G 125 20
65 G 125 20 88 G 120 25
66 V 125 20 89 G 120 25
67 V 110 35 90 V 120 25
68 G 120 25

Tables 1, above, shows the data collected throughout the course of the experiment

broken down by trial number, laser color, refracted angle, and angular difference. To

calculate the angular difference, the absolute value of the refracted angle subtracted from

the incident angle, which in this experiment was 145°, was taken.

Table 2
Table of Average Angular Difference Between Incident and Refracted Light Rays
Red Green Violet

Average Angular 20.333 22.667 27.5

Difference

Standard 4.138 3.144 4.501

Deviation
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Table 2 shows the average angular difference of each laser color and the standard

deviation of each color’s angular difference.

Table 3.
Table of Observations
Observation Table
Trial Observation
13 Redone due to bump
45 Double refraction
48 Abnormally low difference
Laser pulled by the cord,
58
redone
60 Double refraction
70 Double refraction

In Table 3, the observations for the experiment are recorded. As can be seen, the

most common noteworthy occurrence was double refraction in which the beam of light

split into two refracted beams. This most commonly occurred when using the green laser.

This had no noticeable effect on the data collected, however, it was a big enough change

in the experiment that it was noted. The reason this had no effect on the data was that it in

no way altered the beam of the green laser the refracted from the semicircular prism, just

added a second beam that reflected off the prism.

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Refracted Ray Laser

Prism
Protractor Reflected Ray

Figure 4. Double Refraction of the Beam

The image above, Figure 4, shows the phenomenon observed during the

experiment where the beam of light is refracted into two separate beams. This split had

no effect on the data gathered, specifically trial 60 when the image was taken.

Figure 5. Setting the Incident Angle

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Figure 5 is an image of the incident angle for the experiment being set up. As the

image shows, the light is in line with the 145° on the protractor resting at the appropriate

height. This is repeated for every experiment for consistency, where the prism is then

placed onto the protractor.

Figure 6. Light Shining Through the Prism

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Figure 6 shows the procedure for measuring the refracted angle of the light. After

the light is in line with the incident angle, the prism is placed onto the protractor and the

refracted angle can be measured using the protractor where the light leaves the prism.
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Data Analysis and Interpretation

The experiment was designed to measure the refractive properties of different

wavelengths, or colors, of light when shone through an acrylic prism in order to better the

study of far-off astronomical bodies. The data collected during this experiment was the

difference in angle between the incident angle and the refracted angle, measured using a

protractor. The colors of the light shone through the prism were randomized for every

trial conducted to ensure the reliability of the data, as a random order of data reduces bias

amongst the trials, which was essential for the comparative analysis of the data. The

incident angle is kept consistent at 145 degrees for every trial in order as variability in the

experimental design could lead to variability in the data and give inconclusive results .

Because replication increases the likelihood that the data does not vary, each trial was

repeated for a total of 30 trials per laser.

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Figure 7. Box Plots of Refractory Angles

Figure 7 above is a box plot of the data collected during the experiment. As the

plots show, the violet dataset was normally distributed, with the red data set not

containing any whiskers whatsoever, therefore it is not normally distributed, but the

violet one is. There was a little amount of overlap between the red and violet data sets,

and the green and violet data sets, with 100% of the data in the red and green sets falling

below 75% of the violet set, and there was a large overlap between the red and green data

sets, with 100% of the green set falling within 100% of the red set. The violet set also had

the highest mean angular difference of any set, at 27.5 degrees, while red had the lowest

mean, at only 20.33 degrees.The extreme overlap between the red and green box plots

indicates that there may not be a statistically significant difference between the two sets.

The lack of such extreme overlaps between the red and violet data sets and the green and

violet datasets indicate that there may be a statistically significant difference between
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them. In order to verify these assumptions, three Two-Sample t Tests were run. These t

Tests are appropriate to run as the data was collected randomly, as each set had 30 data

points therefore by the Central Limit Theorem each set comes from a normally

distributed sampling distribution, they were was independent of each other and had a

large enough population of a theoretically infinite amount of occurring instances

therefore the 10% condition is met. .

The first t Test run was between the red and green data sets. The null hypothesis

for this test states that the population mean angular difference in the red data set is equal

to the population mean angular difference in the green data set. The alternative

hypothesis states that the green population mean is larger than the red population mean.

This can be seen expressed in statistical notation below.

H o : μr =μ g

H a : μr < μ g

Figure 8. Graph of P-value for Red-Green

Figure 8 shows the results of the Two-Sample t Test performed between the red

and green lasers, which is shown in Appendix B: Sample Calculation. The calculated p-
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value of this test is about 8.58*10^-3, which is well below the alpha level of 0.05. A p-

value is a statistical value that states whether the null hypothesis is likely to be true or

not, where the lower the p-value means that the null hypothesis is less likely. Because

this p-value is less than 0.05, the null hypothesis is rejected, meaning that the alternative

hypothesis is accepted, and that there is a statistically significant difference between the

angle of refraction for the red and green lasers, and that the red laser will produce a

smaller population mean, and therefore angular difference, than the green laser. These

findings were in agreement with scientific principles.

The next t test run was between the green and violet data sets. The null hypothesis

for this test states that the population mean of the angular difference in the green data set

is equal to the population mean of the angular difference in the violet data set. The

alternative hypothesis states that the violet population mean is larger than the green

population mean. This can be seen expressed in statistical notation below.

H o : μg =μv

H a : μg < μ v
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Figure 9. P-value Graph for Green-Violet

Figure 9 shows the results of the Two-Sample t Test performed between the green

and violet lasers. The calculated p-value of this test is about 6*10^-6, which is far below

the standard alpha level of 0.05. Because the p-value is far less than 0.05, the null

hypothesis is rejected, meaning that the alternative hypothesis is accepted, and that there

is a statistically significant difference between the green and violet lasers, and that the

green laser will produce a smaller population mean, and therefore angular difference,

angular difference than the violet laser. This was conclusive with scientific findings.

The final t test run was between the red and violet data sets. The null hypothesis

for this test states that the population mean of the angular difference in the red data set is

equal to the population mean of the angular difference in the violet data set. The

alternative hypothesis states that the violet population mean is larger than the green

population mean. This can be seen expressed in statistical notation below.

H o : μr =μ v

H a : μr < μ v
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Figure 10. Graph of P-value for Red-Violet

Figure 10 shows the results of the Two-Sample t Test performed between the red

and violet lasers. The calculated p-value of this test is about 1.41*10^-8, which is far

below the standard alpha level of 0.05. Because the p-value is far less than 0.05, the null

hypothesis is rejected, meaning that the alternative hypothesis is accepted, and that there

is a statistically significant difference between the red and violet lasers, and that the red

laser will produce a much smaller population mean, and therefore angular difference,

angular difference than the violet laser. This was consistent with science.

Given all of these factors, it was determined that each wavelength of light was

significantly different from the others, such that there was a significant difference in their

angular differences when refracted through a semicircular prism.

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Conclusion

The purpose of this experiment was to determine whether different wavelengths

of light have an effect on the refractive properties of light. This was done by testing the

angular difference of lasers with different wavelengths of light, which caused the lasers to

have different colors associated with them, through a semicircular prism and measuring

the angle of refraction against the incidence angle. The three wavelengths of light

measured correspond to red, green, and violet light, and it was hypothesized that the

violet wavelength, being the shortest, would have the greatest angular difference out of

the three wavelengths. The hypothesis was accepted. This is because the violet laser had

an average difference in its angle of refraction of 27.5 degrees, as compared to the red

laser’s 20.33 degrees and the green laser’s 22.667 degrees. As there were several two-

sample t tests conducted to examine the data, all of which determined that each laser bent

significantly different than the others, this data was accepted as valid and supports this

hypothesis. Each t test resulted in a p-value of lower than the alpha level of 0.05, with

red-green at 0.00858, green-violet at 0.000006, and red-violet at 1.40733E-8. These

results are supported by the scientific principles that governed the experiment. As light

moves from one medium to a more dense medium, it slows down, causing the change in

the direction known as refraction, where the light bends away from the line normal to the

prism. According to Snell’s law, the index of refraction of the first medium times the sine

of the incident angle is equal to the index of refraction of the second medium times the

sine of the refraction angle, or the equation n1∗sin θ1=n2∗sin θ2. Because the index of

refraction of the medium is equal to the speed of light in a vacuum divided by the

velocity of light inside the medium, it can be concluded that wavelength does affect the
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angle of refraction. This is because the velocity of light is equal to the product of

wavelength and frequency, so the larger the wavelength, the faster the velocity, which

c
equates to a smaller index of refraction, as shown in the equation n= , where C is the
v

speed of light in a vacuum, V is the velocity of light in the medium, and N is the index of

refraction.

These results also agree with previous research in the scientific community, such

as that performed by Mario Silveirinha and his team in May of 2009. Silveirinha and his

team explored the refraction of white light as it was separated by a glass prism into

different colors, where they concluded that light beams with shorter wavelengths of light,

such as the violet laser from the experiment, are more refracted than light with longer

wavelengths. This is the case with any object that has an index of refraction, where light

could conceivably pass through it, except for any composite object that reverses this

effect, such as a metamaterial prism, or a prism made of multiple materials that exhibit

properties not found in nature. As these metamaterial properties are not exhibited in any

known natural materials, and the data supports the conclusion drawn by Silveirinha and

his team, this experiment is applicable to the current research.

The experiment was designed such that it could be replicated with relative ease

and minimal risk of outside contributing factors, however, there were several cases where

the experimental data was unintentionally altered and had to be redone. The most

common case of this is the accidental displacement of the prism during the recording of

the data, which meant that the given trial had to be redone. There was also the

phenomenon discussed in the Data and Observations section, where the green laser would
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refract within the semicircular prism twice, resulting in a beam reflecting back towards

the laser. This had no effect on the data collected from the trial, however, and was thus

kept in the experiment, albeit noted down as an odd occurrence.

Further research that could be done on this topic includes applying these results to

commonly used tools that use sensitive lenses, such and telescopes and microscopes.

Another potential research idea could look at how prism shape and color affect the angle

of refraction of different wavelengths as opposed to the transparent, semicircular prism

used in this experiment.

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Appendix A: Randomization

Randomization Process:

1. Associate the number 1 with the red laser, the number 2 with the green

laser, and the number 3 with the violet laser

2. Use a Ti-Nspire calculator to randomly collect the laser for each data trial

3. Collect 30 trials per laser for a total of 90 data trials

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Appendix B: Sample Calculation

( x ❑1−x ❑2 )
t=
√❑

Figure 11. Two-Sample t Test Formula

Figure 11 shows the formula used to calculate the test statistic in a Two-Sample t

Test. The variables in this equation, x, s, and n, refer to different statistics of the collected

data. The x refers to the mean of each sample tested, s is the standard deviation of each

sample’s data, and n is the sample size of each population tested.

(20.33−22.67)
t= t=−2.45
√❑

Figure 12. Sample t Test Calculations

Figure 12 shows the t Test calculations for the red and green data sets, which

results in the test statistic once the statistics for these data sets are input. This results in a

test statistic value of -2.45.

Works Cited:
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Hecht, Eugene, et al. Optics. 5th Edition. Pearson Education Ltd. 2017.

www.polaritech.ir/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Hecht-optics-5ed.pdf

Silveirinha, Mario, et al. “Anomalous Refraction of Light Colors by a

Metamaterial Prism”. Physical Review Letters. 19th Edition, vol. 102, no. 19.

American Physical Society. May 2009. doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.102.193903

Thornton, W.A. "Luminosity and Color-Rendering Capability of White Light,

Journal of the Optical Society of America, volume 61, pages 1155-1163, 1971.

doi.org/10.1364/JOSA.61.001155

Elert, Glenn. “Color”. The Physics Hypertextbook. 1998-2019. physics.info/color/

“What Is Refraction?” Glossary of Spectroscopy Terms, Properties of Light.

StellarNet, Inc., 19 Mar. 2017, www.stellarnet.us/what-is-refraction/.

Riordan-Eva, Paul. “Optics and Refraction” AccessLange: General

Ophthalmology ; Chapter 20, Page 1, 31 Oct. 2002,

www.oculist.net/others/ebook/generalophthal/server-

java/arknoid/amed/vaughan/co_chapters/ch020/ch020_p01.html.