CONTENT

INTRODUCTION

AIM

MATERIAL REQUIRED

THEORY

PROCEDURE

OBSERVATION

PRECAUTION

RESULT

BIBLIOGRAPHY
INTRODUCTON
A ray of light being refracted in a plastic block

In optics, the refractive index or index of refraction of a material is a dimensionless number

that describes how fast light travels through the material. It is defined as

where c is the speed of light in vacuum and v is the phase velocity of light in the medium. For
example, the refractive index of water is 1.333, meaning that light travels 1.333 times as fast
in vacuum as in water.

Refraction of a light ray

The refractive index determines how much the path of light is bent, or refracted, when
entering a material. This is described by Snell's law of refraction, n1 sinθ1 = n2 sinθ2, where θ1
and θ2 are the angles of incidence and refraction, respectively, of a ray crossing the interface
between two media with refractive indices n1 and n2. The refractive indices also determine
the amount of light that is reflected when reaching the interface, as well as the critical angle
for total internal reflection and Brewster's angle.

The refractive index can be seen as the factor by which the speed and the wavelength of the
radiation are reduced with respect to their vacuum values: the speed of light in a medium is
𝑣 = 𝑐/ 𝑛,

and similarly the wavelength in that medium is λ = λ0/n, where λ0 is the wavelength of that
light in vacuum. This implies that vacuum has a refractive index of 1, and that the frequency
(f = v/λ) of the wave is not affected by the refractive index. As a result, the perceived color of
the refracted light to a human eye which depends on the frequency is not affected by the
refraction or the refractive index of the medium.

While the refractive index affects wavelength, it depends on frequency, color and energy so
the resulting difference in the bending angles causes white light to split into its constituent
colors. This is called dispersion. It can be observed in prisms and rainbows, and chromatic
aberration in lenses. Light propagation in absorbing materials can be described using a
complex-valued refractive index. The imaginary part then handles the attenuation, while the
real part accounts for refraction. The concept of refractive index applies within the full
electromagnetic spectrum, from X-rays to radio waves. It can also be applied to wave
phenomena such as sound. In this case the speed of sound is used instead of that of light, and
a reference medium other than vacuum must be chosen.
Aim:
To find refractive index of different liquids using hollow prism.

Materials Required:
• Hollow glass prism

• Various liquids like water, carbon disulphide, benzaldehyde etc.

• Bell pins

• Drawing board
Theory
Refraction:

The refractive index of the liquid is given by the formula:

Where:

μ = refractive index of the liquid

δm = the angle of minimum deviation

r = angle of refraction

i = angle of incidence

A = angle of prism
Procedure:
1. Fix a white sheet of paper on the drawing board with help of drawing pins.
2. Keep the prism and mark the outline of it as ABC.
3. Drop a normal PQ on the side AB.
4. Draw the angle of incidence in accordance with the normal PQ and place 2 pins so
that they appear to be in the straight line.
5. Place the prism filled with given sample of liquid ,on the marked outline ABC.
6. Now take the pins and place them on the side AC so that all the 4 pins appears to be in
same line.
7. Remove the prism and draw the line joining the points so obtained.
8. Mark the diagram as shown in the figure.
9. Repeat this with different liquids and different angle of incidence
Observation Table
Benzaldehye

S.No a°(angle of prism) i°(angle of incidence) d°(angle of deviation)

1 60 30 45
2 60 35 42
3 60 37.5 40
4 60 39 42
5 60 40 45
U= sin((60+40)/2)/sin(30)

= 1.504

Water

S.No a°(angle of prism) i°(angle of incidence) d°(angle of deviation)

1 60 30 25
2 60 35 22
3 60 40 20
4 60 45 22
5 60 50 25
6 60 55 28
U= sin((60+22)/2)/sin(30)

= 1.306

Dil. Sulphuric Acid

S.No a°(angle of prism) i°(angle of incidence) d°(angle of deviation)

1 60 20 33
2 60 30 30
3 60 35 25
4 60 40 29
5 60 45 30
U= sin((60/25)/2)/sin(30)

= 1.351
Precautions
1. Angle of incidence should lie b/w 35-60 degree.
2. Pins should be vertically fixed and should lie in same line.
3. Distance b/w two points should not be less than 10mm.
4. Same angle of prism should be used for all observation.
5. Arrow head should be marked to represent emergent and incident ray.
Results
Refractive indices at room temperature:

• Benzaldehyde

o Actual: 1.546

o Experimental: 1.504

• Water

o Actual: 1.33

o Experimental: 1.306

• Dil . Sulphuric acid

o Actual: 1.355

o Experimental: 1.351
References
a. wikipedia.org
b. google.com
c. physicsforlife.com{physicsforlife.com}
d. earthphysics.com