In this lab, I determined the refractive index of glass by measuring the angles of light propagation at the boundary of two media. The results confirm that as light enters a more optically dense medium (glass) from a less dense one (air), the ray bends toward the normal. Potential errors in the experiment may arise from the thickness of the pencil lines or slight misalignments of the pins/laser.
n=sinαsinβn equals the fraction with numerator sine alpha and denominator sine beta end-fraction In this lab, I determined the refractive index
To measure the absolute refractive index of a glass plate using Snell's law. n=sinαsinβn equals the fraction with numerator sine alpha
Observe the ray as it passes through the glass. Mark the exit point on the opposite side of the plate. ). According to the
). According to the , the ratio of the sine of the angle of incidence ( ) to the sine of the angle of refraction ( ) is constant for two given media:
By measuring these angles, we can calculate the optical density of the glass. 2. Experimental Procedure