Laboratory Group # & Name:

Date Performed:
Course Code & Section:
Group Members:

EXPERIMENT 12a

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The Law Of Reflection

EQUIPMENT NEEDED:
Optics Bench -Light Source
Ray Table and Base -Component Holder
Slit Plate -Slit Mask
Ray Optics Mirror

Figure 12A.1 Equipment Set up

THEORY
The shape and location of the image created by reflection from a mirror of any
shape is determined by just a few simple principles. One of these principles you
already know: light propagates in a straight line. You will have an opportunity to
learn the remaining principles in this experiment. To determine the basic
principles underlying any phenomenon, it is best to observe that phenomenon in
its simplest possible form. In this experiment, you will observe the reflection of a
single ray of light from a plane mirror. The principles you discover will be applied,
in later experiments, to more complicated examples of reflection.

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Figure 12A.2 Incident and Reflected Rays

PROCEDURE
Set up the equipment as shown in Figure 12A.1. Adjust the components so a
single ray of light is aligned with the bold arrow labeled Normal on the Ray
Table Degree Scale. Carefully align the flat reflecting surface of the mirror with
the bold line labeled Component on the Ray Table. With the mirror properly
aligned, the bold arrow on the Ray Table is normal (at right angles) to the plane
of the reflecting surface.
Rotate the Ray Table and observe the light ray. The angles of incidence and
reflection are measured with respect to the normal to the reflecting surface, as
shown in Figure 12A.2.
By rotating the Ray Table, set the angle of incidence to each of the settings
shown in Table 12A.1. For each angle of incidence, record the angle of reflection
(Reflection1). Repeat your measurements with the incident ray coming from the
opposite side of the normal (Reflection 2).

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1. Are the results for the two trials the same? If not, to what do you attribute the
differences?
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2. Part of the law of reflection states that the incident ray, the normal and the
reflected ray all lie in the same plane. Discuss how this is shown in your
experiment
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3. What relationship holds between the angle of incidence and the angle of
reflection?
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ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS
1. The Law of Reflection has two parts. State both parts.

2. You were asked to measure the angle of reflection when the ray was incident
on either side of the normal to the surface of the mirror. What advantages
does this provide?

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3. Physicists expend a great deal of energy in attempts to increase the accuracy

Table 12A.1 Data

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Laboratory Group # & Name:

EXPERIMENT 12b

__________________________________________________
__________________________________________________
__________________________________________________
__________________________________________________

__ ___________________________________
__ ___________________________________

The Law Of Refraction

EQUIPMENT NEEDED:
Optics Bench -Light Source
Ray Table and Base -Component Holder
Slit Plate -Slit Mask
Cylindrical Lens.

Figure 12B.1 Equipment Set up

THEORY
As you have seen, the direction of light propagation changes abruptly when light
encounters a reflective surface. The direction also changes abruptly when light
passes across a boundary between two different media of propagation, such as
between air and acrylic, or between glass and water. In this case, the change of
direction is called Refraction.
As for reflection, a simple law characterizes the behavior of a refracted ray of
light. According to the Law of Refraction, also known as Snells Law:
1 1 = 2 2

The quantities 1 and 2 are constants, called indices of refraction that depend
on the two media through which the light is passing. The angles 1 and 2 are the
angles that the ray of light makes with the normal to the boundary between the
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two media (see the inset in Figure 12B.1). In this experiment you will test the
validity of this law, and also measure the index of refraction for acrylic.
PROCEDURE
Set up the equipment as shown in Figure 12B.1. Adjust the components so a
single ray of light passes directly through the center of the Ray Table Degree
Scale. Align the flat surface of the Cylindrical Lens with the line labeled
Component. With the lens properly aligned, the radial lines extending from the
center of the Degree Scale will all be perpendicular to the circular surface of the
lens.
Without disturbing the alignment of the Lens, rotate the Ray Table and observe
the refracted ray for various angles of incidence.

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1. Is the ray bent when it passes into the lens perpendicular to the flat surface of
the lens?
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2. Is the ray bent when it passes out of the lens perpendicular to the curved
surface of the lens?
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By rotating the Ray Table, set the angle of incidence to each of the settings
shown in Table 12B.1 on the following page. For each angle of incidence,
measure the angle of refraction (Refraction1). Repeat the measurement with
the incident ray striking from the opposite side of the normal (Refraction 2).
3. Are your results for the two sets of measurements the same? If not, to what
do you attribute the differences?
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On a separate sheet of paper, construct a graph with sin(angle of refraction)
on the x-axis and sin(angle of incidence) on the y-axis. Draw the best fit
straight line for each of your two sets of data.
4. Is your graph consistent with the Law of Refraction? Explain.
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5. Measure the slope of your best fit lines. Take the average of your results to
determine the index of refraction for acrylic (assume that the index of
refraction for air is equal to 1.0).
= ________________________________________.

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ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS
1. In performing the experiment, what difficulties did you encounter in measuring
the angle of refraction for large angles of incidence?

2. Was all the light of the ray refracted? Was some reflected? How might you
have used the Law of Reflection to test the alignment of the Cylindrical Lens?

3. How does averaging the results of measurements taken with the incident ray
striking from either side of the normal improve the accuracy of the results?

Table 12B.1 Data

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Laboratory Group # & Name:

EXPERIMENT 12c

__________________________________________________
__________________________________________________
__________________________________________________
__________________________________________________

__ ___________________________________
__ ___________________________________

Dispersion and Total Internal

EQUIPMENT NEEDED:
Optics Bench -Light Source
Ray Plate and Base -Component Holder
Slit Plate -Slit Mask
Cylindrical Lens -Ray Table Component Holder
Viewing Screen.

Figure 12C.1 Equipment Set up

THOERY
In this experiment you will look at two phenomena related to refraction:
Dispersion and Total Internal Reflection. Dispersion introduces a complication to
the Law of Refraction, which is that most materials have different indexes of
refraction for different colors of light. In Total Internal Reflection, it is found that in
certain circumstances, light striking an interface between two transparent media
cannot pass through the interface.
PROCEDURE
Set up the equipment as shown in Figure 12C.1, so a single light ray is incident
on the curved surface of the Cylindrical Lens.

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Dispersion
Set the Ray Table so the angle of incidence of the ray striking the flat surface of
the lens (from inside the lens) is zero-degrees. Adjust the Ray Table Component
Holder so the refracted ray is visible on the Viewing Screen.
Slowly increase the angle of incidence. As you do, watch the refracted ray on the
Viewing Screen.
1. At what angle of refraction do you begin to notice color separation in the
refracted ray?
2. At what angle of refraction is the color separation a maximum?
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3. What colors are present in the refracted ray? (Write them in the order of
minimum to maximum angle of refraction.)
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4. Measure the index of refraction of acrylic for red and blue light
( = ).

NOTE: In the previous Experiment we said that the index of refraction of a

Without moving the Ray Table or the Cylindrical Lens, notice that not all of the
light in the incident ray is refracted. Part of the light is also reflected.
1. From which surface of the lens does reflection primarily occur?
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2. Is there a reflected ray for all angles of incidence? (Use the Viewing Screen to
detect faint rays.)
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3. Are the angles for the reflected ray consistent with the Law of Reflection?
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4. Is there a refracted ray for all angles of incidence?_____________________.
5. How does the intensity of the reflected and refracted rays vary with the angle
of incidence?
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6. At what angle of refraction is all the light reflected (no refracted
ray)?_________________________________________________________.
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