(Write on the RULED SIDE of the lab record book)

REFRACTION OF LIGHT THROUGH A GLASS SLAB

AIM : To observe the phenomena of refraction of light through a glass slab and to determine the
refractive index of the material of the given glass by applying the Snell's law for refraction.

APPARATUS : A glass slab, thumb pins, common pins, a protractor, a soft board.

PROCEDURE :
1. Place the given white sheet on soft board with the help of the thumb pins.
2. Place the given glass slab approximately at the centre and mark its outline. mark DEGF as its four
edges.
3. Draw a line OA, depicting the incident ray, on the face DE of the slab, approximately at 40 degree
inclination.
4. Fix two pins P1 and P2 on line OA.
5. Look through the glass slab from the other side of the glass slab and adjust your eye in line with the
images of pins P1 and P2.
6. Fix the third pin P3 on the other side of the glass slab such that when seen through side FG, the pins
P3 is exactly in line with the two images of P1 and P2 in that position.
7. Same way place the fourth pin P4 in line.
8. Join points P3 and P4 to meet side FG, at B. Join AB to depict the refracted ray.
9. Draw a normal MAN at point A on face DE of the glass slab.
10. Measure the angle of incidence and angle of refraction at the interface.
11. Measure the angle of emergence

CALCULATIONS :
Refractive index of glass with respect to air is calculated as :

sin 𝑖
aµg =
sin 𝑟

CONCLUSIONS :
From the above experimental data the following conclusions can be drawn :
1. Since, angle of refraction is less than the angle of incidence, the ray when enters from a medium of
lesser density to a medium of greater density, bends towards the normal.
2. Since, angle of emergence is equal to the angle of incidence, the emergent ray is parallel to the initial
incident ray.
The refractive index of the material of the given glass slab as calculated by applying the Snell's law of
refraction is found to be ________________.

(See next page for OBSERVATIONS)

 (Write on the UNRULED SIDE of the lab record book)
(Write below the experiment sheet containing the glass slab diagram)
(Write only with a pencil)

OBSERVATIONS :

Angle of incidence (∠i) = _____________

Angle of refraction (∠r) = _____________

Angle of emergence (∠e) = ____________