P2460303

Reflection, Transmission and Refraction of

Microwaves

Physics Mechanics Vibrations & waves

   
Difficulty level Group size Preparation time Execution time

- - - -

Robert-Bosch-Breite 10 Tel.: 0551 604 - 0 info@phywe.de

37079 Göttingen Fax: 0551 604 - 107 www.phywe.de
P2460303

General information

Application

The most prominent use of microwaves is in a microwave,

to exite the water molecuels in food to heat the food.

Fig.1: Experimental set-up

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Other information (1/2)

When electromagnetic waves impinge on a surface, different interactions may result:

Part of the radiation will be reflected, transmitted, and absorbed (energy will be
transferred to the material). The reflection follows the law of reflection (angle of
incidence = angle of reflection). During the transition into another medium, a change in
Prior propagation time and, thereby, a change of the direction of propagation of the wave
(refraction) may occur. The aim of this experiment is to investigate these phenomena
knowledge and to verify the law of reflection.

When electromagnetic waves impinge on an obstacle, reflection, transmission and

refraction may occur. The aim of this experiment is to demonstrate and describe these
phenomena with the aid of microwaves.

Main

principle

Other information (2/2)

The goal of this experiment is to investigate the behaviour of microwaves.

Learning
objektiv

First, demonstrate the phenomena of reflection, transmission and refraction based on

various materials, then verify the law of reflection (angle of incidence = angle of
reflection).

Tasks

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P2460303

Equipment
Position Material Item No. Quantity
1 Microwave set II, 110...240 V 11743-99 1

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P2460303

Setup and Procedure

Setup and Procedure (1/6)

Set the experiment up as shown in Fig. 2.

Connect the microwave transmitter and receiver to

their associated sockets of the control unit. Connect
the multi-range meter to the voltmeter output of
the control unit and select the 10 V measuring range
(direct voltage). The loudspeaker and internal or
external modulation are not required for this
experiment.

Fig. 2: Experiment set-up

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P2460303

Setup and Procedure (2/6)

Combine the angle scale and meter rule by way of the screw on the back of the angle scale and the recess in
the meter rule. Turn the meter rule in order to align the reference mark (arrow) on the angle scale with the
one of the meter rule so that they coincide.

Position the transmitter on the fixed rule of the angle scale at 420 mm and the receiver opposite the
transmitter on the meter rule at approximately 580 mm. Switch the microwave transmitter on by connecting
the control unit to the mains power supply. Maximise the voltmeter reading by varying the amplitude of the
transmitter (amplitude controller) and the position of the receiver along the optical axis until a value of 10 V
is reached.

Setup and Procedure (3/6)

Position the following objects one after the other in the beam path in the centre of rotation of the angle
scale: metal scale, grating (horizontal and vertical alignment), wooden plate (dry), wooden plate (moistened
on both sides), empty beaker, beaker filled with 300 ml of water, and, if available: dielectric, plastic plate
("screen"), glass plate. Use also other objects from your environment, e.g. a writing pad, a microwave dish,
or a lunch box made of plastic. If necessary, use the prism holder in order to hold larger objects (e.g. the
beaker).

Note down the voltmeter reading for each of these objects. As a last step, disconnect the transmitter from
the control unit in order to obtain a reading without any microwaves.

Then, remove all of the objects from the beam path and position the prism in the centre of rotation of the
angle scale by way of the prism holder. Turn the receiver out of the beam path until the original voltmeter
reading has been reproduced, and note down the associated angle.

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P2460303

Setup and Procedure (4/6)

Set the experiment up as shown in Fig. 3.

Connect the microwave transmitter and receiver to their

associated sockets of the control unit. Connect the multi-
range meter to the voltmeter output of the control unit
and select the 10 V measuring range (direct voltage). The
loudspeaker and internal or external modulation are not
required for this experiment.

Fig. 3: Experiment set-up (law of reflection)

Setup and Procedure (5/6)

Combine the angle scale and meter rule by way of the screw on the back of the angle scale and the recess in
the meter rule. Turn the meter rule in order to align the reference mark (arrow) on the angle scale with the
one of the meter rule so that they coincide. Fasten the metal plate in the centre of rotation of the angle scale
and adjust an angle of 90°.

Position the transmitter on the fixed rule of the angle scale at 420 mm and the receiver on the meter rule at
approximately 610 mm. Switch the microwave transmitter on by connecting the control unit to the mains
power supply and set the amplitude controller to maximum.

Adjust the angle of incidence in steps of 5° with regard to the original perpendicular (90°) (e.g. the angle of
incidence of 30° corresponds to a value of 120° on the outer scale). Find the associated angle of reflection
for every angle of incidence by turning the meter rule in order to maximise the voltmeter reading. Note
down the angular alignments of the plate and meter rule. Record a minimum of ten measurement values.

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Setup and Procedure (6/6)

Note

During the experiment, do not stand in the direct vicinity of the beam path when reading the voltmeter
values. The human body reflects microwaves so that the measurement result may be invalidated. The same
applies to all types of metallic objects. If several experiments are performed simultaneously in a laboratory,
ensure sufficient distance between the experiment stations in order to avoid interference signals caused by
reflected radiation and/or scattered radiation from the other set-ups. Stay in the direct vicinity of the set-up
only for adjusting the angle, but not for reading the voltmeter.

Evaluation

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P2460303

Results (1/4)

Compare the voltages that have been measured for Medium U [V]
the various materials (example values can be found Air 10
in table 1). Metal plate 1.05
While the metal plate shields nearly the complete Grating, horizontal 2.1
signal (in this case, the receiver mainly measures Table 1: Grating, vertical 8
scattered radiation that passes the plate on the Example Wooden plate (dry) 7.1
sides), the materials plastic, glass, wood, etc. are values for Wooden plate (moistened) 6.8
nearly completely transmissive. This is due to the fact various Beaker (empty) 7.4
that electromagnetic waves (i.e. also microwaves) are materials Beaker (300 ml water) 5.95
reflected by metallic surfaces, while other materials Dielectric 9.4
are transmissive. The transmissivity of the grating Platsic plate ("screen") 8.35
depends on the angle (see also the experiment
Glass plate 6.0
P2460201 "Polarisation of microwaves").
Lunch box made of plastic 9.5

Results (2/4)

This is the reason why it makes sense to use dishes made of glass or similar in a microwave oven instead of
dishes made of metal that would prevent the heat from being transferred into the food due to reflection.

Please note that these values are subject to a certain level of inaccuracy: the voltmeter reading does not
disappear even if the transmitter is switched off.

In addition to reflection and transmission, waves can experience refraction when passing through different
media. This is why you will find the maximum intensity at an angle when the prism is present in the optical
path.

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P2460303

Results (3/4)

Determine the angles of incidence and reflection based on the measurement and verify the validity of the
law of reflection (example data can be found in table 2).

While the data for angles of incidence ≥ 20° confirm the law of reflection (angle of incidence = angle of
reflection), there are clear deviations in the case of values < 20°. These deviations are caused by
interference signals from the primary beam or by the fact that the plate is not positioned precisely
centrally.

Results (4/4)

Angular Angular Angle Angular Angle

Angular
adjustment adjustment of the adjustment of the
adjustment
of the of the Angle of meter Angle of of the Angle of meter Angle of
of the
reflector reflector incidence rule reflection reflector incidence rule reflection
reflector
plate [°] plate [°] [°] [°] [°] plate [°] [°] [°] [°]
plate [°]
(outer (inner (outer (outer (outer
(inner scale)
scale) scale) scale) scale) scale)
95 160 5 20 15 125 109 35 71 36
100 155 10 25 15 130 100 40 80 40
105 154 15 26 11 135 91 45 89 44
110 138 20 42 22 140 79 50 101 51
115 125 25 55 30 145 70 55 110 55
120 121 30 59 29 150 59 60 121 61
Table 2: Example data concerning the law of reflection

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