Fire the Laser, Bend that Light Ray

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A Scientific Paper

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In Partial Fulfillment of the

Requirements for the Subject
General Physics 2

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by:

Leader: Angelica Mae Alconcel

Members: Jilian Marc Adoc

Rheyza Mae Amin

Jayson Cabanig

Edwin Jerick Palacpac

Jonabele Rabaca

Guille Angel Ruiz

Group 2
12-Democritus

May 24, 2023

 I. Fire the Laser, Bend that Light Ray
II. OBJECTIVE
● To explore the behavior of light at a boundary that separates two materials.

III. METHODOLOGY

IV. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

Part 1. REFLECTION

Angle of Incidence Angle of Reflection

15° 15°

30° 30°

45° 45°

60° 60°

80° 80°
Conclusion:
The law of reflection states that when a ray of light reflects off a surface, the angle of
incidence is equal to the angle of reflection. The angle of incidence and the angle of reflection is
always equal as they are both on the same plane along with the normal.

Part 2. REFRACTION TOTAL INTERNAL REFLECTION

1. Are there conditions under which the incident light ray undergoes reflection but not
transmission at the boundary? If so, then what are those conditions?
- Yes there are conditions where the incident light ray undergoes reflection but not
transmission at the boundary. It is when the ray passes from a denser medium to a less
dense medium. At angles of incidence greater than the critical angle, light cannot pass
through the second medium. Instead it is reflected back to the first medium.
2. Are there conditions under which the incident light ray undergoes transmission across the
boundary without actually bending (or refracting)? If so, then what are those conditions?
- Yes, there are conditions under which the incident light ray undergoes transmission
without refraction. First would be if the index of refractors are the same and second is
when the angle of incidence is equal to the boundary.
3. The amount of light that undergoes reflection or transmission is demonstrated by how
bright the reflected or transmitted ray is. Under what conditions is the amount of
transmission maximized and the amount of reflection minimized?
- The amount of transmission is maximized and the amount of reflection is minimized
when the angle of incidence is less than the critical angle of medium. As observed, the
ray of reflection is dimmer if the angle of incidence is less than the critical angle of the
medium.
4. What effect does an increase in the angle of incidence have upon the angle of reflection?
- Based on the law of reflection of light, The angle of incidence is equal to the angle
of reflection . This shows that an increase of the angle of incidence will increase the
angle of reflection.
5. What effect does an increase in the angle of incidence have upon the angle of refraction?
- The Snell’s law which states that , therefore, an increase in angle of
incidence will increase the angle of refraction
6. Under what conditions are the angles of incidence greater than the angles of refraction?
- The angle of incidence is greater than the angle of refraction if the index of refraction of
the first medium is higher than the second medium. In this case, the ray of light passes
from a denser medium to a less dense medium. That is based on Snell’s law which states
that if the n(1) is greater than n(2), the angle of refraction is always larger than the angle
of incidence.
7. Every substance has its own unique index of refraction (n). For light passing from air to
another material, what effect does increasing the angle of incidence have upon the angle
of refraction?
- Increasing the angle of incidence will increase the angle of refraction.
 8. Under what conditions is the angle of incidence greater than the angle of refraction? And
under what conditions is the angle of incidence less than the angle of refraction?
- The angle of incidence is greater than the angle of refraction when the ray passes from
an optically less dense medium to a denser medium. Meanwhile, the angle of
incidence is less than the angle of refraction if the ray passes from an optically denser
medium to a less dense medium. Based on Snell’s law equation, n1 × sin(θ1) = n2 ×
sin(θ2), if the n(1) is greater than n(2), the angle of refraction is always larger than the
angle of incidence. While if n(2) is greater than n(1), the angle of refraction is always
smaller than the angle of incidence.
9. How does the index of refraction of Unknown #1 compared to the index of refraction of
oil?

- The incident angle that we used is 45 degrees while the angle of refraction is 72
degrees. Based on the solution above, the refractive index of Unknown #1 (n=1.977) is
larger than the refraction index of oil (n=1.47). That means that the unknown #1 is
denser since the refractive index of unknown #1 is greater than the oil.
10. How does the index of refraction of Unknown #2 compared to the index of refraction of
oil?

- The incident angle that we used is 45 degrees while the angle of refraction is 58
degrees. Based on the solution above, the refractive index of Unknown #2 (n=1.763) is
larger than the refraction index of oil (n=1.47). That means that the unknown #2 is
denser because the refractive index of unknown #2 is greater than the oil.
11. Where does the light ray refract when it passes from a less dense medium to a denser
medium, and vice versa?
- When a ray passes from an optically less dense medium to a denser medium, it is
refracted toward the normal. If light passes from an optically denser medium to a less
dense medium, it is refracted away from the normal.
V. CONCLUSION
Based on the law of reflection, the angle of incidence is equal to the angle of reflection
(θr=θi). Regardless of the angle at which the wavefronts approach the barrier, one general law of
reflection is that the waves will always reflect in such a way that the angle at which they
approach the barrier equals the angle at which they reflect off the barrier. Meanwhile, in the law
of refraction, when the ray passes from an optically less dense medium to a denser medium, the
angle of incidence is greater than the angle of refraction. On the other hand, the angle of
incidence is less than the angle of refraction if the ray passes from an optically denser medium to
a less dense medium. The Index of Refraction (n) is a factor that causes this, just like in Snell's
law, n1 × sin(θ1) = n2 × sin(θ2), that if n(1) is greater than n(2), the angle of refraction is always
larger than the angle of incidence; consequently, if n(2) is greater than n(1), the angle of
refraction is always smaller than the angle of incidence.