Analysis

ANALYSIS
This experiment about the index refraction was very easy to conduct, compared to the
previous experiments in the course. We didnt encounter any difficulty or struggle throughout
the whole experiment because the procedures were easy to understand. Our results were
acceptable and we didnt arrive with a percentage error exceeding 15%. In able to arrive with
accurate results, you have to be very careful in following the procedures. Having a keen eye is
very useful in this experiment, you also have to make sure that the pins are properly marked in
their respective positions and the distance of refraction should be traced properly. We obtained
a percentage error of 7.78% for the first part, 3.03 for the second part, and 11.9% for the third
part. Possible sources of these errors may be from carelessly viewing through the thickness of
the glass and erroneous pin markings. The experiment was very knowledgeable and well
designed. The set-up of the experiment is show in Figure 1 below.
Figure No.1: Experiment Set-up
I found this experiment to be very interesting because we got to see with our own eyes how
refraction works, we were able to determine the index of refraction of a glass experimentally
by applying the Snells Law, which can be seen in equation 1 below. We justified the Snells
equation which shows the important relationship of the angles of refraction and angles of
incidence.
Equation No.1 : Snells Law

1 sin = 2 sin
Snells Law explains the relative index of refraction of the second medium to the first
medium, which is a constant. This can be obtained by dividing the sine of the angle of incidence
by the sine of the angle of refraction. This law can also be related to the wave theory because
it can be derived from it. Based on the results of the experiment, we can say that as the angle
of incidence increases in value, the angle of refraction will come up with a value that is closer
to 90 degrees.
The experiment was divided into three parts. In the first part, we were asked to identify
the index of refraction of a certain glass when light travels from glass then into the air. We
solved this part by dividing lengths FL by GH then multiplying this quantity by the accepted
value of the index of refraction. If we base the results of the experiment to the ratio of speed
of light equation which can be seen in equation 2 below, the value arrived with should be
greater than or equal to 1 so we can say that the results obtained for part A of the experiment
are acceptable.
Equation No.2 : Ratio of Speed of Light in an empty space

=

In the second part of the experiment, we were asked to identify the index of refraction
of a certain glass when light bends from air then into the glass. We solved this part by deriving
some of the past equations and ending up with equation 3 which can be seen below. We also
used the sides of the triangles GOH and LOF.
Equation No.3: Index of Refraction of Glass

/
= ( )
/
In the last part of the experiment, we were asked to determine the critical angle for the
given glass. This was done by solving for the inverse tangent of the value obtained by dividing
segments MU by EU which can be seen by equation 4 below.
Equation No.4: Critical Angle of Glass

= tan1 ( )

As seen from tables 1 and 2 below, we arrived with acceptable values and we were able
to arrive with values that is relatively close to the actual values. We learned a lot about the
concept of refraction in this experiment.
Table No.1: Index of Refraction of Glass

Part A Part B
Length GH 3.34cm 6.4cm
Length FL 5.4cm 4.4cm
1.0 1.0
() 1.6167 1.4545
() 1.5 1.5
Table No.2: Critical Angle of Glass

Length MU 4.75cm
Length EU 6.35cm
() 41.81
() 36.7977
CONCLUSION
Refraction is known to be the path of light rays as it travel from one object to another
in which both object have different densities. We can also say that the light rays bend between
the two mediums. This could have a result of change in speed. The speed of light in a vacuum

is thoroughly explained in this experiment by the equation = where n is the index of
refraction of the medium, c is the speed of light which is equal to 3 108 / and v is the
speed of light. In this experiment, we know that were supposed to arrive with a value of the
index of refraction that is equal to or greater than 1. We now conclude the relationship between
the density of the medium used and the index of refraction to be direct. They are directly
proportional to one another because as the density decreases, the index of refraction of the
medium also decreases in value.
Snells law was also introduced in this experiment. Having a deeper understanding
about Snells law, the equation was widely used in this experiment. We derived various
equations originally from the Snells law in the different parts of this experiment. The last part
of the experiment focused on the critical angle of the class. From this part, we learned the
relationship between the angle of refraction and angle of incidence in observing through the
thickness of a glass which was our medium used. We proved that the angle of incidence is
always less than the angle of refraction. If we arrive with values that have the angle of
refraction less than the angle of incidence, there must be an error with conducting the
experiment. Another relationship between these two is that as the angle of refraction becomes
closer to to a value of 90 degrees, the angle of incidence will then become a critical angle.
We were able to attain all objectives. We studied the refraction of light, compared the
angles of incidence and refraction in different set-ups and calculated the index of refraction by
applying Snells law. Through this experiment, we had a deeper understanding about refraction
and its various applications in life such as identifying different substances and it is also used
in determining different kinds of lenses.

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ANALYSIS

Figure No.1: Experiment Set-up

Equation No.1 : Snells Law

Equation No.2 : Ratio of Speed of Light in an empty space

Equation No.3: Index of Refraction of Glass

Equation No.4: Critical Angle of Glass

Table No.1: Index of Refraction of Glass

Table No.2: Critical Angle of Glass

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