Kevin Schwartz

Research Reflection Paper

(Light refraction)

What I have learned: Nothing can travel faster than the speed of light in a vacuum. The
speed of light in a vacuum is represented by c. In other mediums such as air, light is
slowed and scattered by the molecules in the air (The Speed of Light and the Index of
Refraction).
These are the basic principles of what i am investigating, how different mediums affect
the speed of light/what affects the optical density of a medium/material. The optical
density of a material relates to the sluggish tendency of the atoms of a material to
maintain the absorbed energy of an electromagnetic wave in the form of vibrating
electrons before re emitting it as a new electromagnetic disturbance (qtd. Henderson,
Tom) or how much the medium is able to slow light. The index of refraction describes
how much light slows in a given material. Materials with large indices of refraction are
called optically dense material, while materials that affect the speed of light less are
called optically rare media (The Speed of Light and the Index of Refraction ). Materials
Obviously I cant time the speed of light with a stopwatch, even when slowed by a
medium the speed of light is too fast to be tracked with the human eye. But there is
another way to calculate the speed of light in a medium. To do this I need to find the
angle of refraction, the angle created when a beam of light passes from one medium to
another (Henderson, Tom). Once you have the measure of the angle of refraction, you
can use the equation n=c/v (qtd. The Speed of Light and the Index of Refraction) or

more specifically v=c/v to calculate the speed of light through a given medium. n= index
of refraction, c= speed of light in a vacuum, v= speed of light through given material.

The angle of refraction can be predicted using Snells Law (Snells Law, Reflection,
and Refraction), but I will not be using this to calculate the angle. Instead I will carry out
a hands on experiment. I can use a laser and a tub of multiple different clear materials.
When the laser travels from the air into whichever clear medium i am using it will create
an angle of refraction. Laser beam should be perpendicular to the surface [of the
medium] for proper refraction results (qtd. Using a Laser to Measure the Speed of Light
in Gelatin). I can then use the formerly mentioned equation n=c/v to calculate the speed of
light in that medium.
Many things that we use and depend on in our lives are based on the science of light refraction.
Examples of this are glasses and magnifying glasses, both use the refraction of of light when it
passes through the glass medium (Refracting of light). This shows that an investigation into
how different mediums affect light can be useful to us. I want to not just study how light is
refracted, but what variables affect the index of refraction. Also, as light is the fastest thing in a
vacuum, i find it important that we understand the nature of it. I hope to use the knowledge I've
learned to achieve this goal.