Electromagnetic Waves

Experiment No.1: Prisms of Light

Goals
The experiment’s objective is to construct a prism and observe the different colors that are
produced and how the bending of light waves depends on their wavelength.

Materials :
Face shield (for the prism)
Tape
Shoe glue
Laser
Flashlight
Water
Black Box

Procedure:
1. We cut a 5-cm-long by 5-cm-wide triangle to create an improvised prism. In order to prevent
water leaks, it should be tightly taped or glued. Create a rectangle base for the prism by taping
one end of the prism into a square form.
2. Fill the prism with water and put it on a table that is against a dark wall. We shine the laser in
the prism and while doing the experiment, we observe the colors produced by the bending of
lights.
3. We put the prism with water inside the box and shine the flashlight to see how many colors are
seen and how the light bends.

Conclude and Apply:

1. List the order of the colors you saw on the wall.
- Left to right (Blue, Green, Yellow, Orange and Red)
- Right to Left (Red, Orange, Yellow, Green and Blue)
2. Describe how the position of the colors on the wall changes as you change the
direction of the flashlight beam.
- Each wavelength of light is refracted by a slightly different amount when it travels
through a prism due to the angles and level faces of the object. As the colors on the wall
shift from left to right, different colors will also be produced by the flashlight's beam in
other places.
3. Describe how the order of colors on the wall changes as you change the direction of
the flashlight beam.
- Every position's color switches when the direction shifts. If Red, Orange, Yellow, Green,
and Blue are viewed on the right, Green, Violet, Orange, and Red are seen on the left.
4. Infer which color light waves have changed direction, or have been bent, the most
after passing through the prism. Which color has been bent the least?
- The most refracted color and one with the highest frequency is Violet while Red is
refracted the least and has the lowest frequency.
5. Infer how the bending of a light wave depends on its wavelength.
- The ratio of the wavelength of the light to the opening size determines how much
bending occurs because a more highly bent light wave will have a shorter wavelength.