Refraction

Objectives
The transmission of light across a boundary between two media is accom-
panied by a change in both the speed and wavelength of the wave. This can
result in a change of direction at the boundary, a phenomenon known as
refraction. In this experiment you measure the change in direction of light
beams as they refract or reflect at a boundary to determine the index of
refraction of a transparent object. The objectives of this experiment are as
follows:

1. To measure the angles of incidence and refraction at a boundary be-

tween media

2. To observe total internal reflection at a boundary between media

3. To calculate the critical angle of a boundary between media

Theory
The index of refraction is a property of transparent substances that has
been independently discovered several times, but is attributed to Willebrord
Snellius whose name is associated with the law (you can’t make this stuff up).
Mathematically, 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.
Snell’s law quantifies the relationship that is observed in Figure 6.1:

n1 sin θ1 = n2 sin θ2 (1)

where n1 is the index of refraction of medium 1, n2 is the index of refraction
medium 2, θ1 is the angle that the light ray makes with respect to the normal

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in medium 1, θ2 is the angle that the light ray makes with respect to the
normal in medium 2.
The index of refraction of any medium (ni ) is the ratio of the speed of
light in vacuum (c) to the speed of light in that medium (vi ), as shown in
Equation 2 .
c
ni = (2)
vi
where c = 3.00108 m/s (the accepted value for the speed of light in
vacuum, a constant).
A very good approximation for the refractive index of air is 1.00, i.e.
nair = 1.00. On observation, it can easily be seen that as light travels from
a lighter medium to a denser one (i.e. n1 < n2 ), the refracted light ray
bends towards the normal. Conversely, when light travels from a denser
medium to a lighter one (i.e. n1 > n2 ), the refracted light ray bends away
from the normal. But when you think about it, how much ?away from the
normal? is possible? One can only get as far as 90 degrees without leaving
the medium! When the refracted ray exceeds 90 degrees, it?s not refraction
anymore. Instead light is reflected back into the same medium it started
from, and this phenomenon is known as total internal reflection. Note that
this only happens for light traveling from a denser medium to a lighter one.

Apparatus
Online applet located at https://phet.colorado.edu/sims/html/bending-light/latest/bending-
light en.html
The glass used in this experiment is made of Lucite. The accepted
value for the refractive index of Lucite is 1.50. The mystery media have
no accepted value for their refractive indices. It is up to the experimenter
to determine their values.

Procedure
Part A: Glass
1. Open the online applet and select “Intro.”

2. Change the material in the bottom half of the screen to Glass by

making the appropriate choice in the Material menu.

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 3. Click the red button on the laser to turn it on. Slide the laser to a
random position.

4. Use the protractor, located in the left menu, to measure the angle of
incidence of the light beam. (Recall that the angle of incidence is the
angle between the light beam and the line perpendicular to the surface
of the glass.)

5. The first angle of incidence you record should be between 30 and 60

degrees. Adjust your laser if this is not already the case. Record your
value in the data table.

6. Measure the angle of refraction of the laser beam by measuring the

light ray in the glass, again making sure to measure the angle between
the light ray and the line perpendicular to the glass surface. Record
your value.

7. Measure another refraction event, this time making sure that the angle
of incidence is between 60 and 90 degrees.

8. Reverse the experimental setup by changing the top material to Glass

and the bottom material to Air.

9. Determine the critical angle of incidence by moving the laser beam

until the angle of refraction reaches 90 degrees. Record this in your
data table.

Medium Measurement Angle

Air Angle of incidence
Glass Angle of refraction
Air Angle of incidence
Glass Angle of refraction
Glass Critical angle

Part B: Mystery Media

1. Change the bottom material to “Mystery A” and randomly slide the
laser to some angle.

2. Record the angles of incidence and refraction.

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 3. Change the bottom material to “Mystery B” and randomly slide the
laser to some angle again. Record the angles of incidence and refrac-
tion.

4. Reverse the materials so that Mystery B is in the top half and Air is in
the bottom half. Determine the critical angle and record this in your
data table.

Medium Measurement Angle

Air Angle of incidence
Mystery A Angle of refraction
Air Angle of incidence
Mystery B Angle of refraction
Mystery B Critical angle

Calculations and Analysis

1. Use equation 1 to calculate the refractive index of glass in the first
three scenarios on the data table. Report these as na , nb , and nc .

2. Find the average experimental value for the refractive index of glass
n.

3. Calculate the error (as a percentage) in your average experimental

value calculated above. The accepted value of the index of refraction
is 1.5.

4. Calculate the speed of light in this material.

5. Use equation 1 to calculate the refractive index of Mystery A and

Mystery B media. For Mystery B, you will have two different values.
Report the average of these values as the measured index of refraction
for Mystery B.