Physics Lab (Online Simulation)

Light
Reflection & Refraction
Critical Angle, Spectrum
Electricity and Light

Unit 6

TA name: Hany Mahdy Due Date: 08/04/2020

Student Name: Peter Nguyen

Student ID: 1001774818

This lab uses the Remote lab platform from PhET Interactive Simulations at University of Colorado
Boulder, under the CC-BY 4.0 license.

phet.colorado.edu/sims/html/bending-light/
latest/bending-light_en.html

This pre-lab is worth 5 points.

1) What does each term in equation [1] represent?

n  c/v
n = index of refraction for a medium
c = speed of light in a vacuum
v = speed of light in the medium

2) What does the term Normal mean in the context of dealing with an optical surface?

Normal: the reference line that is always perpendicular to the surface of the point of impact where
the light is incident onto the surface

3) Describe how light behaves in relation to the Normal when travelling between two interfaces in
the following cases:
From a less dense to a denser medium

The way the angle  will bend towards the normal

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From a denser to a less dense medium

The ray will bend away from the normal

4) A convex lens is also known as a (converging, diverging ) lens and a concave lens is known
as a (converging, diverging) lens.

5) Describe where the focal point for a convex and a concave lens located?

In a convex lense, the light will bend towards the principal axis while the focal point for
concave lenses is found by extending the departing ray back throughthe principal axis.

Objectives:

Upon successful completion of the laboratory exercise you will

1. Veriy law of refraction
2. Find index of refraction of an unknown material
3. Create spectrum of light using prism
4. Find criticle angle required for total internal reflection

Theory:
Whenever a wave traveling in some medium encounters an interface or boundary with
another medium either (or both) of the processes of (1) reflection and (2) refraction
may occur if the speed of the wave is different in the two media.

If the wave being considered is light, the speed of light in any medium is characterized
by the index of refraction for the medium, n, where

n  c/v [1]

where c is the speed of light in a vacuum, and v is the speed of light in the medium.
(Note that for a vacuum or air n=1.00.)

Reflection

In reflection, a ray of light traveling in a straight line in medium 1 encounters an interface

with medium 2 and the incident ray is reflected (or bounced) backed into medium 1 at
the interface of the two media as depicted in Figure 22 – 1.
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medium 1
R
Normal
medium 2 I

Figure 22 –1

The Normal is a reference line that is always perpendicular to the surface at the “point
of impact” where the light is incident onto the surface. If the ray incident on the
interface makes an angle I with the normal to the surface at the “point of impact” on
the interface, the reflected ray will make an angle R with the normal from the “point of
impact” equal to the incident angle I. The relationship between the angles I and R for
all reflections is called the Law of reflection which can be stated in two parts:

1. I = R , and
2. I and R are coplanar, (i.e. lie in the same plane.) [2]

For light traveling parallel to the principal axis and is incident on a spherical (or
cylindrical) surface with a radius R, the reflected light will cross the principal axis at a
focal point, f, from the vertex (see Figure 22-2) such that

f = R/2 [3]

where R is the radius of curvature.

Normal

f
principal axis

R radius of curvature

Figure 22 –2
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Refraction

In refraction, a ray of light traveling in a straight line in medium 1 encounters an

interface with medium 2, penetrates the interface and then moves in a straight line in
medium 2 as depicted in Figure 22 – 3. If the incident ray originally in medium 1 makes
an angle 1 with the normal to the surface in medium 1, the refracted ray will make an
angle 2 with the same normal in medium 2. The relationship between 1 and 2 for
each refraction is called the law of refraction which can be stated in two parts:

1. n1 sin 1 = n2 sin 2 , and [4]

2. 1 and 2 are coplanar.

3=1
n medium 1
2
Normal 2 1 Normal
n 1
medium
1 1 n
2 2
medium

Figure 22 –3

Figure 22–3 represents two interfaces the first is from a lower to higher index of
refraction (medium 1 (n1) < medium 2 (n2)), and the second is from a higher to low index
of refraction (medium 2 (n2) > medium 1 (n1)). At the interface of n1 < n2 the angle 2 will
be less than 1 in relation to the normal which is in agreement with equation [4].
Likewise when n2 > n1 the angle 3 will be greater than 2 in relation to the normal. From
this it can be stated that:

A light ray incident at an angle  from the normal will bend towards the
normal when traveling from a less dense medium to a denser medium,
and bend away from the normal when traveling from a denser medium to
a less dense medium.

Critical Angle
For any interface where light travels from a dense to less dense medium there can be
found an angle of incidence from the normal which will cause the light ray not to
penetrate the interface but to travel along the interface as shown in Figure 22-4. Using
Figure 22-3, it can be shown that if 2 is increased from the normal, 3 would eventually
become 90 to the normal therefore the will travel along the surface of the interface.
The angle 2 at this point is called the critical angle. From this it can be found that:
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lesser n1 sin θc =n2 sin 90 , or

2 = 90
medium n
sin θc = 2 , or
n1
c denser n2
Normal medium
θc =sin−1
( ) n1
[5]
Figure 22 –4

In equation [5], (n2/n1) is called “the index of refraction of medium 2 relative to medium
1”. Note that if medium 2 is air then n2 = 1 and that n1 can be found by

n1 = 1/ sin c [6]

A phenomenon called total internal reflection occurs when the angle of incidence of the
light ray from the normal at the dense to less dense interface exceeds the critical angle.
At all angles where  > c all of the light is reflected back into the denser medium. Fiber
optics is based upon this principal.

Procedure:

PhET Simulation “Bending Light” at https://phet.colorado.edu/en/simulation/bending-light

Procedure: Part A Setup

1. Open the simulation “Bending Light” at PhET. Use the address

above.
2. Click on Intro.
3. Leave the default for entry material at “Air”. Choose “Glass” for
the exit material (See pic on right). Record the index of refraction
of glass into Table 1
4. Choose the protractor and set the laser to an angle of incidence,
θ1, at 30°. Recall: angles are always measured from the Normal.
5. Ignore the reflected ray (the ray that remains in air). Using the
protractor, measure the angle of refraction, θ2, of the laser and
record in Table 1.
6. Repeat steps 4 and 5 of this lab for 4 more angles of incidence of your own choosing. Record the
results in Table 1.

Data:
Note* For best results center the protractor where the beam splits on the screen
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Table 1
Trial n1 θ1 (degrees) θ2 (degrees) Sin θ1 Sin θ2 nglass
1 1.50 30 26 .5 .438 1.14

2 1.50 10 8 .173 .139 1.24

3 1.50 15 13 .258 .224 1.15

4 1.50 40 34 .642 .559 1.14

5 1.50 60 50 .866 .766 1.13

Observations and Calculations:

1. Classify the bending of light as exhibited by the ray diagrams. According to your data, is light
refracted away from or toward the normal as it passes at an angle into a medium with a higher
index of refraction?

As per the data in the table, the light is refracted towards the normal as it passas an angle into
a medium with a higher index of refraction.

2. Calculate sin θ1 and sin θ2 for each trial. Record the results in Table 1.
3. Calculate n2 (glass) for each trial. Record the results in Table 1.

4. Compare the values for index of refraction of glass for each trial (values in last column). Is there
good agreement between them? Would you conclude that index of refraction is a constant for a
given medium?

Yes, there is a good agreement between the values. All the values are around 1.5 and
therefore we can take the final value as 1.5.

5. Compare your calculated n2 with the given index of refraction, n glass. Do they agree? Explain why
it does or doesn’t.

We know that the refractive index of glass is 1.5, and our value in the table is really close to it,
so our values agree.

Procedure: Part B Setup

1. Reset simulation and choose “Mystery A” for the material.
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2. Choose the protractor and set the laser to an angle of incidence, θ 1, at 30°.
3. Ignore the reflected ray (the ray that remains in air). Using the protractor, measure the angle of
refraction, θ2, of the laser and record in Table 2.
4. Repeat steps 2 and 3 for angles of incidences of 40°,50°, 60°, and 70°. Record the results in Table
2.
5. Calculate sin θ1 and sin θ2 for each trial. Record the results in Table 2.

Table 2
Trial θ1 (degrees) θ2 (degrees) Sin θ1 Sin θ2
1 30 10 .5 .173
2 40 15 .642 .258
3 50 18 .766 .309
4 60 20 .866 .342
5 70 23 .939 .390

6. Draw a graph of the Sin θ1 vs. Sin θ2 on the grid below. Draw in your best-fit line and find the
slope. Show slope work below. You can use excel and paste a screenshot of the graph if you like.

Chart Title
0.45

0.4
f(x) = 0.47 x − 0.06
0.35

0.3

0.25
Sin θ1

0.2

0.15

0.1

0.05

0
0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7 0.8 0.9 1
Sin θ2

The slope is .4712

7. What does your slope represent?
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The slope represents the inverse of refractive index

8. Using the chart below of various indices of refraction for various media, identify your mystery
material you had in your experiment.

9. Find the percent error of your observed value (slope) using the identified index of refraction as
your accepted value.

Analysis Questions:

1. Substitute the average value of the index of refraction that you measured in Part A into the
equation for index of refraction and calculate the speed of light in the glass. Show work.

2. What if you conducted this experiment (Part A) under water? Compare and contrast the results
you get in such a situation to the results you have from this lab.
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Now set up the materials as water on

top and air on the bottom.

Move the laser back and forth

1. Somewhere between 30o and 60o the behaviour changes.

What is the exact angle?

2. What happens at this angle

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Critical angle
When going from a more to a less dense
material.

The light ray should be r________ away

from the n_______

At the critical angle the behaviour

suddenly changes and the totality of all
light is reflected back internally into the water.

This is called _________

Complete the table below (use air as the bottom material)

TOP Refractive critical angle ,θc /o sin ,θc 1 / sin θc

Material index (n)

Water 1.33 48 0.743 1.35

Glass

Mystery A

1. What effect does increasing the index of refraction have on the critical angle?

2. What equation can be used to calculate the critical angle

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Spectrum

On the Prisms page of the simulation

phet.colorado.edu/sims/html/bending-light/
latest/bending-light_en.html

Select the white on black colour scheme

Set up the triangular block as shown.

Ensure the ray is pointed near the tip

Describe what you see.

Go to the More Tools page of the simulation

Use the spectrum to

investigate how color chages with
wavelength

Complete the table

Wavelength nm 400 450 525 580 600 650 700

Color Yellow

1. Describe the relationship between color and wavelength.

2. Looking at the spectrum produced by the prism, which colour is bent more?
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3. Use this to explain which color slows down the most in a glass block