MEASURE

REFRACTIVE
INDEX
OF
A
LIQUID
WITH A LASER
POINTER.
OBJECTIVE:
The objective of this experiment is to see if sugar concentrations in
water can be determined using the index of refraction of the
solution.
INTRODUCTION:
No doubt you have noticed the odd "bending" effect that you see
when you put a straw (or pencil) in a glass of water. The water
refracts the light, so the straw appears to bend at an angle when
you look at the interface between the air and the water. Compare
the two images in Figure 1 and see if you notice anything different
between them.

F i g u r e 1 . T h e s e t w o i m a g e s
i l l u s t r a t e r e f r a c t i o n b y
l i q u i d s . W h i c h g l a s s
c o n t a i n s p l a i n w a t e r , a n d
w h i c h g l a s s c o n t a i n s s u g a r -
w a t e r ?

Snell's Law describes the physics of refraction (see Figure 2,

below). If we follow a light ray (red) as it passes from air to water,
we can see how the light bends. Air and water each have a different
index of refraction (symbolized by the variable n). Snell's Law
describes the angle of refraction of a light ray in terms of the angle
of incidence and the index of refraction of each of the materials
through which the light is passing (air and water in this case).
F i g u r e 2 . I l l u s t r a t i o n o f
S n e l l ' s L a w

In optics, angles are measured from a line perpendicular to the

surface with which the light is interacting. This line is called the
surface normal, or simply, the normal (dashed gray line in Figure 2).
The angle of incidence, θ1, and the angle of refraction, θ2, are shown
in Figure 2. Snell's Law says that the relative index of refraction of
the two materials (RI = n2/n1) is equal to the the sine of the angle of
incidence (sine θ1) divided by the sine of the angle of refraction
(sine θ2).

What Snell's Law tells us is that the greater the relative index of
refraction, the more the light bends. The index of refraction of a
liquid depends on the density of the liquid. Dissolving sugar in water
results in a solution with density greater than that of water alone.
Since sugar water is more dense than plain water, sugar water
should have a higher index of refraction than plain water. In
Figure 1, one glass has plain water and the other glass has sugar
water. Can you tell which is which?

In this project, we'll show you how to use the physics of refraction
to measure the sugar content of a clear liquid solution (e.g., apple
juice, or a clear soda drink). You'll use a laser pointer and a hollow
glass prism (which we'll show you how to make). Figure 3 shows a
diagram of the setup.
F i g u r e 3 . D i a g r a m o f s e t u p
f o r m e a s u r i n g t h e i n d e x o f
r e f r a c t i o n o f a l i q u i d u s i n g
a l a s e r p o i n t e r a n d a h o l l o w
t r i a n g u l a r p r i s m

When there is no liquid in the prism, the laser light (dotted red line)
will shine straight through to a wall (solid black line). When the
prism is filled with liquid, the laser light will be refracted (solid blue
and red lines). The angle of deviation will be at a minimum when the
light passing through the prism (solid blue line) is parallel to the
base of the prism. You'll have to rotate the prism just right so that
this is true. Then you'll measure two distances, x and L, and use
them to calculate the angle of minimum deviation. From this angle,
you can calculate the index of refraction. Equation 1 is the formula
for doing this.

Equation 1 looks complicated at first, but it's actually not so bad.

θmd is the angle of minimum deviation, which you will measure (we'll
show you how in the Experimental Procedure section). θp is the
apex angle of the prism. Since the prism is an equilateral triangle,
the apex angle is 60°. In equation 2, we've substituted 60° for θp. In
equation 3, we've substituted the numerical value of the index of
refraction of air (nair = 1.00028). The sine of 30° is 0.5, so we've
made that substitution in equation 3. Finally, we simplify the
numerical terms to produce Equation 4, which is the one you will
use. Plug in your measured value for θmd, add 60°, and multiply the
result by one-half. Then take the sine of the result, and multiply by
2.00056, and you'll have the desired index of refraction.
MATERIALS AND EQUIPMENTS:

To do this experiment we need the following materials and

equipment:

• several 1" × 3" glass microscope slides,

• diamond scribe or glass cutter,
• ruler,
• electrical tape,
• epoxy glue (either 5-minute or 30-minute epoxy),
• toothpicks,
• laser pointer,
• cardboard,
• tape,
• tape measure,
• paper,
• pencil,
• piece of string,
• sugar,
• water,
• graduated cylinder,
• gram scale,
• calculator with trigonometric functions (sine, arctangent).
 PROCEDURE:
MAKING THE PRISM FROM MICROSCOPIC SLIDES:

1. Figure 3, below, shows the sequence of steps you will be following

to make a hollow glass prism in the shape of an equilateral triangle
(from Edmiston, 1999). The prism will hold a liquid as you measure
the liquid's index of refraction.

F i g u r e 4 . D i a g r a m o f t h e
s e q u e n c e o f s t e p s f o r m a k i n g
a h o l l o w g l a s s p r i s m
( e q u i l a t e r a l t r i a n g l e ) f r o m
m i c r o s c o p e s l i d e s . T h e s t e p s
a r e e x p l a i n e d b e l o w .

2. The goal is an equilateral prism that can hold liquid. It will be

constructed from microscope slides and epoxy.
3. Put a piece of black electrical tape across the face of the slide as
shown above (Figure 4a). The tape should hang over the edge.
4. Score the other side of the microscope slide with a diamond scribe
or glass cutter as shown (Figure 4a). Use a straightedge to guide the
diamond scribe. The two scribe lines should be one inch apart and
perpendicular to the long edge of the slide. (If desired, before
scribing you can mark the positions for the scribe lines with marker.
The marker can later be cleaned off with a small amount of rubbing
alcohol on a paper towel.)
5. Now you will break the glass along the scribe lines. Hold the slide
on either side of the first scribe line and bend the glass toward the
taped side. Bend just enough to break the glass. Repeat for the
second scribe line (Figure 4b).
6. Now bend the glass away from the tape, allowing the tape to stretch
(Figure 4c). Continue bending until the triangle closes.
7. Place the prism on a flat surface to align the bottom edges. Use the
overhanging tape to secure the prism in this configuration
(Figure 4d).
 8. Adjust the edges of each face so that they align correctly. At each
apex of the prism, the inside edges should be in contact along their
entire vertical length.
9. Follow the manufacturer's instructions for mixing the epoxy cement
(usually you mix equal amounts from each of two tubes). Use a
toothpick to apply epoxy to the inside corners of the prism to glue
the three faces together (Figure 4e). The corners need to be water-
tight, but keep the epoxy in the corners and away from the faces of
the prism. Keep the bottom surface flat and allow the epoxy to set.
10. When the epoxy in the corners has set firmly, mix up fresh
epoxy and use a toothpick to apply it to the bottom edge of the
prism. Glue the prism to a second microscope slide as shown
(Figure 4f). The bottom edge needs to be water-tight, but keep the
epoxy away from the faces of the prism.
11. Allow the epoxy to set overnight, and then your prism will be
ready for use.

MEASURING THE REFRACTIVE INDEX:

1. Figure 5, below, is a diagram of the setup you will use for measuring
the index of refraction of a liquid. (Note that the diagram is not to
scale.)

F i g u r e 5 . D i a g r a m o f s e t u p
f o r m e a s u r i n g t h e i n d e x o f
r e f r a c t i o n o f a l i q u i d
u s i n g a l a s e r p o i n t e r a n d
a h o l l o w t r i a n g u l a r p r i s m
( n o t t o s c a l e ; b a s e d o n
t h e d i a g r a m i n N i e r e r ,
2 0 0 2 ) .
2. The laser pointer should be set up so that its beam (dotted red line in
Figure 5) is perpendicular to a nearby wall. You should attach a big
piece of paper to the wall for marking and measuring where the
beam hits. The height of the laser pointer should be adjusted so that
it hits about half-way up the side of the prism. The laser pointer
should be fixed in place. Check periodically to make sure that the
beam is still hitting its original spot.
3. When the prism is empty (filled only with air), then placing it in the
path should not divert the beam. Mark the spot where the beam hits
the wall when the prism is empty. When the prism is filled with liquid,
the laser beam will be refracted within the prism (solid blue line).
The emerging beam (solid red line) will hit the wall some distance
away from the original spot of the undiverted beam. You will
measure the distance, x, between these two points (see Figure 5).
4. Figure 6, below, is a more detailed view of the prism which
illustrates how to measure the angle of minimum deviation, θmd. You
need to mark points a, b, and c in order to measure the angle. Points
a and b are easy, because they are project on the wall. Marking point
c is more difficult, because it is under the prism. The next several
steps describe how to mark point c.

F i g u r e 6 . D e t a i l d i a g r a m
s h o w i n g h o w t o m e a s u r e t h e
a n g l e o f m i n i m u m d e v i a t i o n
( n o t t o s c a l e ; b a s e d o n
t h e d i a g r a m i n N i e r e r ,
2 0 0 2 ) .

5. Tape a sheet of paper to the table, centered underneath the prism.

6. With the prism empty, on the sheet of paper mark the point where
the beam enters the prism (point d in Figure 6). Then mark the point
where the beam exits the prism (point e in Figure 6). Later you will
draw a line between d and e to show the path of the undiverted
beam.
7. On the wall, mark the point where the undiverted laser hits (point b
in Figure 6). (As long as the laser pointer stays fixed, this point
 should be remain constant throughout your experiment. It's a good
idea to check it for each measurement.)
8. Now add liquid to the prism. You want to rotate the prism so that the
path of the refracted beam within the prism (solid blue line from d to
f in Figure 6) is parallel with the base of the prism. (A pinch of non-
dairy creamer in the liquid can help you visualize the beam within the
prism, and should not have a significant effect on the index of
refraction of the liquid.) When the prism is rotated correctly, mark
the position of the emerging beam on the paper on the wall (point a
in Figure 6). On the paper on the table, mark the point where the
beam emerges from the prism (point f in Figure 6).
9. Now you can move the prism aside. Leave the paper taped in place.
10. Use a ruler to draw a line from point d to point e. This marks the
path of the undiverted beam.
11. Next, you want to extend a line from point a (on the wall) through
point f (on the table). To do this, stretch a string from point a so that
it passes over point f. Mark the point (c) where the string crosses the
line between d and e.
12. Measure the distance, x, between points a and b, and record it in
your data table.
13. Measure the distance, L, between points b and c, and record it in
your data table.
14. The distances you have measure define the angle of minimum
deviation, θmd. The ratio x/L is the tangent of the angle. To get the
angle, use your calculator to find the arctangent of x/L. (The
arctangent of x/L means "the angle whose tangent is equal to x/L.")
Record the angle in your data table.
15. Now that you have the angle of minimum deviation, you can use
equation 4 to calculate the index of refraction, n, of the liquid in the
prism.

16. To check that your setup is working, plain water should have an
index of refraction of 1.334.
S t a n d a r d S u g a r S o l u t i o n s
f o r C o m p a r i s o n

1. Use the following table for amounts of sugar and water to use in
order to make 5%, 10%, and 15% sugar solutions.

desired amount amount water

concentration sugar (g) (mL)

5% 5 95

10 10 90

15 15 85

2. Measure the index of refraction of each sugar solution.

3. Now measure the index of refraction of a solution with unknown
sugar concentration (e.g., a clear soft drink or fruit juice). If you
measure a carbonated beverage, make sure that there are no
bubbles in the path of the laser (gently dislodge them from the side
of the glass, if necessary).
4. With the index of refraction of the unknown solution, combined with
the data you have from your known sugar solutions, you should be
able to estimate the sugar concentration of the unknown solution.
REFERENCES:

• Edmiston, M.D., 2001. "A Liquid Prism for Refractive Index Studies,"
Journal of Chemical Education 78(11):1479–1480, [accessed October 2,
2006] available online at:
http://www.jce.divched.org/hs/Journal/Issues/2001/Nov/clicSubscriber/V78
N11/p1479.pdf.
• Nierer, J., 2002. "Using the Prism Method," [accessed September 25, 2006]
http://laser.physics.sunysb.edu/~jennifer/journal/prism.html. Soderstrom,
E.K., 2004. "How Does Sugar Density Affect the Index of Refraction of
Water?" California State Science Fair Abstract [October 2, 2006]
http://www.usc.edu/CSSF/History/2004/Projects/J1533.pdf