Lab: Refraction of Light- Air into Glass Answers

Lab Answers and Analysis

1)  A ray directed along a normal does not refract as it moves from one medium another; refraction will occur if the ray is travelling on an angle different from that of the normal through two different mediums.

2) When light travels from air to glass at an angle of incidence greater than 0o, it bends toward the normal.

3) The incident ray and refracted rays both converge at the normal. They are located on opposite sides of the boundary line. The incident ray will split into two rays, the reflection ray and refraction ray. In this diagram, the incident ray is on the left side and consequently, a ray of refraction is on the right side on the opposite side of the boundary line.

4) In each case the angle of incidence > angle of refraction approximately by the factor of n.

5) The ratio between Sin Ф_i/ Sin Ф_R is a constant value which is the index of refraction for whatever medium it is travelling into from air. Not in the experimental case probably due to human error, however, they were all relatively close to each other in value.

6) The slope of the line represents the index of refraction. This is in accordance with Snell’s Law of light travelling from air to a denser medium n= Sin Ф_i/ Sin Ф_R. The ratio of the sine of the angle of incidence to the sine of the angle of refraction is a constant.

7) If light were to travel from glass to air, it would bend farther away from the normal. This is because as the light reaches the less dense medium and it encounters a lower number of molecules collisions and assuming the kinetic energy from the light remains constant the light particles collisions decrease resulting in the light speeding up.

8) The incident ray and refracted rays both converge at the normal. They are located on opposite sides of the boundary line. The incident ray will split into two rays, the reflection ray and refraction ray. In this diagram, the incident ray is on the left side and consequently, ray of refraction is on the right side on the opposite side of the boundary line. When light travels from air to glass at an angle of incidence greater than 0^o, it bends toward the normal.