Lab 10 Optics Intro - Bending Light Name - Jacqueline Vu - Lab Goals
Lab 10 Optics Intro - Bending Light Name - Jacqueline Vu - Lab Goals
Lab 10 Optics Intro - Bending Light Name - Jacqueline Vu - Lab Goals
Lab Goals
https://phet.colorado.edu/sims/html/bending-light/latest/bending-light_en.html
2. Practice using the compass and the intensity measuring tool. Is the intensity of the
light the same for all rays?
Hint: to measure the angle accurately place the compass
as shown:
Predicted Observed
Trials Incident Angle ( Reflected Angle ( Reflected Angle( Comments
1. Draw the ray diagram here for at least two different incident angles. Just focus on the
incident ray and reflected ray NOT the refracted ray, we will study law of refraction later
on.
RR
IR IR 70 RR 70
degrees degrees
2. After you complete the predictions, you can observe using the protractor and
provide the observed refracted angle.
Predicted Observed
Trials Incident Angle ( Comments
Reflected Angle ( Refracted Angle(
1 20 27.06 15 The incident angle is 5
degrees more than the
refracted angle.
2 30 41.68 25 The incident angle and
observed refracted angle
have the same relation as
Trial 1’s.
3 45 70.13 30 The predicted reflected angle
is 1.5 times the incident
angle.
4 60 error 40 Once the incident angle gets
to 60 degrees the predicted
reflected angle does not
come up from the equation.
5 70 error 46 There is no predicted
reflected angle from the
equation for 70 degrees
either. As the angle increases
the same thing happens.
3. Draw the ray diagram here for at least two different incident angles.
IR at 20
degrees
IR at 45
degrees
Based on your data in the data tables, what patterns do you observe? Write at least
three summary statements.
The refracted angles are closer to 0 degrees than the incident angles are because the
light bends as it hits the water. The predicted reflected angles are much higher than the
incident angles that I predicted, increasing differences as I use the equation to solve the
five different predicted reflected angles. Even with the incident angles at wide different
ranges, the refracted angle distances are not that far apart from each other.
1. Refresh the sim. The material in the top half should be water, the material in the
bottom half should be air, and the angle of incidence should be about 30°.
3. Keep increasing the angle of incidence until the angle of refraction is as close to 90°
as you can get it.
If you increase the angle of incidence further then the refracted ray will disappear.
The angle when this happens is called the “critical angle” for water.
Record the critical angle for water here:
Critical angle for water = ……48…………°
4. Return the angle of incidence to 0° and change the material in the top half to glass.
Repeat step 3 to find the critical angle for glass.
Record it here:
5. Repeat the process to find the critical angle for material Mystery A and Mystery B.
Record the results here:
Critical angle for Mystery A = __25____° Critical angle for Mystery B = __45_____°
6. Put the critical angle results into the table below and complete the other columns
using the instructions below the table.
critical angle, C /
Material sin (C) 1/sin(C) refractive index, n
degrees
Water 49 0.755 1.33 1.33
Glass 42 0.669 1.49 1.50