INDEX

S.NO CONTENT

1 OBJECTIVE

2 APPARATUS

3 DIAGRAM

4 THEORY

5 PROCEDURE

6 OBSERVATION

7 CALCULATION

8 PRECAUTION

9 SOURCE OF ERROR

10 RESULT
 INTRODUCTION

IN OPTICS,THE REFRACTIVE INDEX OR INDEX OF

REFRACTION N OF A MATERIAL IA A DIMENSIONLESS NUMBER THAT DESCRIBES HOW
LIGHT PROPAGATES THROUGH THAT MEDIUM.IT IS DEFINED AS

n=c/v

WHEN C IS THE SPEED OF LIGHT IN VACCUMAND V IS THE

SPACE VELOCITY OF LIGHT IN THE MEDIUM.FOR EXAMPLE,THE REFRACTIVE INDEX OF
WATER IS 1.333 TIMES FASTER INA VACCUM THEN IT DOES IN WATER.
OBJECTIVE:

TO FIND THE REFRACTIVE INDEX OD (A(WATER (B)OIL USING A PLANE

MIRROR,AN EQUICONVEX LENS AND AN ADJUSTABLE OBJECT NEEDLE.

APPARATUS:

• CONVEX LENS

• PLANE MIRROR

• WATER

• OIL

• CLAMP STAND

• AN OPTICAL NEEDLE

• PLUMB LINE

• KNITTING NEEDLE

• HALF METER SCALE

• GLASS SLAB

• SPHEROMETER
DIAGRAM:
THEORY:

LET'S ADD SMALL AMOUNT OF WATER ON AFLAT,PLANE SURFACE AND

PLACE A CONVEX LENS AND PLANE MIRROR.

LET F1 AND F2 ARE THE FOCAL LENGTH OF WATER LENS AND CONVEX LENS
RSPECTIVELY,THEN FOCAL LENGTH OF THE COMBINATION IS

THE FOCAL LENGTHN OF THE PANE CONCAVE LENS IS.. I

FROM LENS MAKER FORMULA

R1 =R AND R2= FOR WATER LENS

THE REFRACTIVE INDEX OF WATER IS..II

(WHERE R IS THE RADIUS OF THE CURVATUREOF THE CONCAVE SURFACE OF THE
PLANE -CONCAVELENS).
THE RADIUS OF CURVATURE OF THE LENS,IS

PROCEDURE:

• FOR FINDING THE FOCAL LENGTH OF CONVEX LENS:

• MEASURE THE ROUGH FOCAL LENGTH OF THE CONVEX LENS.

• PLACE THE PLANE MIRROR WITH THE CONVEX LENS PLACED ON IT ABOVE
THE HORIZONTAL BASE OF A CLAMP STAND HORIZONTALLY AR ITS TIPS LIES
VERTICALLY ABOVE THE OPTICS CENTRE OF THE LENS.ADJUST THE NEEDLE
AT THE HEIGHT A LITTLE MORE THAN THE ROUGH FOCAL LENGTH OF THE
CONVEX LENS.

• TRY TO REMOVE THE PARALLEX BETWEEN THE TIPS OF THE OBJECT NEEDLE
AND ITS IMAGE TIP.

NOTE THE DISTANCE OF THE TIP OF THE NEEDLE FROM THE THE CENTRE OF THE
UPPER SURFACE OF THE LENS.LET IT BE X 1(USE PLUMP LINE).

• REMOVE THE CONVEX LENS AND THE MEASURE THE DISTANCE OF THE TIP OF
THE NEEDLE FROM THE PLANE MIRROR.LET IT BE X2.(USE PLIMP LOINE).
 • FOR FINDING THE FOCAL LENGTH OF THE PLANO-CONCAVE LENS:

POUR FEW DROPS OF WATER EVER THE PLANE MIRROR AND PLACE THE
CONVEX LENS OVER IT.REPEAT STEPS (ii) to (iv) AS DONE ABOVE.REPEAT THE
PRODECURE WITH TURPENTINE OIL ASO.

• FOR FINDING 'I'

DETERMINE THE PITCH AND LEAST COUNT OF SCALE OF THE SPHEROMETER ON THE
DRIED SURFACE OF THE CONVEX LENS.TURN THEV SCREW DOWNWARD GENTLY TILL
THE TIP OF THE SCREW JUST TOUCHES THE LENS.READ AND RECORD THE READING.

KEEP THE SPHEROMETER'S LEGS ON THE BASE OF A PAPER AND ADJUSTING THE
CENTRAL SCREW,FIND THE PRICKS A,B,AND C OF THE THREE LEGS OF THE
SPHEROMETER.JOIN THE CENTRE OF THE THREE PRICKS AND THE MEASURE THE
LENGTH WUTH THE HALF-METRE SCALE.NOTE THE VALUE OF AB,BC AND AC.
OBSERVATION:

PITCH OF THE SPHEROMETER=1CM

LEAST COUNT OF THE SPHEROMETER=0.01

DISTANCE BETWEEN LEGS:

(1)AB = 3CM

(2) BC = 3 CM

(3)CA = 3CM

TABLE FOR CALCULATION OF 'H'

S.NO INITIAL NO.OF FINAL ADDITIO h=n X MEAN

READING COMPLET READING NAL C.S PITCH+m “H” (CM)
OF THE E OF THE DIV.MOV X L.C
C.S. ON ROTATIO C.S ON ED
THE N THE
CONVEX (n) GLASS
LENS (A) SLAB
1 62 0 6.5 55.5 0.555 0.58

2 64 0 4 60 0.6
 DISTANCE OF NEEDLE
TIP FROM
AREA S.NO TIP OF THE UPPER MEAN FOCAL
BETWEEN UPPER SURFACE X =X1+X2/2 LENGTH(C
LENS AND SURFACE OF THE M)
PLANE OF THE PLANE
MIRROR CONVEX MIRROR
LENS(CM) (CM)
X1
WITHOUT 1 30.5 31 30.75 F1=33.85
LIQUID 2 36.7 37.2 36.95
WITH 1 31.4 31.8 31.6 F2=34.7
WATER 2 37.5 38.1 37.8

CALCULATION:

MEAN DISTANCE BETWEEN TWO LEGS:

l = AB+BC+AC/3

=3CM

MEAN OF h=(0.555+0.6)/2

=0.5775
 TO FIND THE RADIUS OF THE CURVATURE OF THE CONVEX LENS:

R=l^2/6h +h/2
=2.8861 cm

MEASUREMENT OF THE REFRACTIVE INDICES OF WATER AND OIL

1)WITH THE WATER BETWEEN THE CONVEX LENS AND THE PLANE MIRROR:

M1=1+R/F2

=1+2.8861/34.7

=1.0831

2)WITH OIL BETWEEN THE CONVEX LENS AND THE PLANE MIRROR:

M2=1+R/F3

=1+2.8861/10

=1.2886
PRECAUTION:

1.THE PLANE MIRROR SHOULD BE CLEAN AND FULLY SHINING SURFACE.

2.THE LIQUID TAKEN SHOULD BE TRANSPARENT.

3. THE PARALLEX SHOULD BE REMOVED TIP TO TIP.

4.THE EYE SHOULD BE AT A DISTANCE ABOUT 30 CM FROM THE NEEDLE

WHILE REMOVING THE PARALLEX.

5.ONLY FEW DROP OF LIQUID SHOULD BE TAKEN SO THAT ITS LAYER

SHOULD BE THICK.

6.THE LEG OF THE SPHEROMETER SHOULD BE VERTICAL.

7.THE CENTRE LEG OF THE SPHEROMETERSHOULD TURN ION ONE

DIRECTION ONLY.

SOURCE OF ERROR:

1. LIQUID MAY NOT BE QUITE TRANSPARENT.

2. THE PARALLEX MAY NOTBE FULLY REMOVED.
3. THE SPHEROMETERLEG SHOULD BE PLACED
SYMMETRIVAL ON THE SURFACE OF THE CONVEX
LENS.
4. THE TIP OF THE CENTRAL SCREW NOT JUST TOUCH
THEC SURFACE OF LENS OR MIRROR.
RESULTS:

THE REFRACTIVE INDEX IS M1=1.0831

THE REFRACTIVE INDEX OF OIL IS M2=1.2886