Lab Refraction

The Refraction of Light

Snell's Law. Learn to love it.

Exercise:

We are going to use Snell's Law to help us to determine the index of refraction of glass and of water.

Apparatus:

Glass block
White paper
Light source
Object
Beaker and water

Procedure:

Determine a method to accurately measure the index of refraction of glass. Be sure to be able to give a 90% confidence interval for the glass.
Determine a method to measure the index of refraction of water. In this case, you can make a single measurement, and no error analysis necessary.

If this is a formal lab (as indicated on the lab syllabus), you have been instructed as to whether this is an individual or group write-up, or an oral presentation. If it is a write-up, each person must submit the lab electronically as a word-processed document in Moodle before the next lab meeting. If it is a group write-up, you should all be submitting the same document. For written formal labs, remember to check the "write-up hints" page to be sure everything is included and check your write-up against the grading rubric.
If this is an informal lab, work on the results together in your groups, and be sure to have your complete informal lab in your lab notebook and checked by the instructor before you leave.
Remember to read the next lab and do the pre-lab before you come to lab next week! You may work on the pre-lab with others, but each person must submit her or his own work.