Name: _________________________
Reflection and Refraction
Reflection and refraction are two commonly observed behaviors of light. We see light bouncing off
the smooth surface of a mirror or of nearly any smooth surface…reflection. We see objects appear
distorted as we view them through water or glass—sometimes intentionally as through a camera or
binoculars—refraction. In fact, whenever light encounters a discontinuity in the medium through
which it is propagating, some of the light will be reflected and some will continue on, often
bending—or refracting—as it does so.
In this lab, we will explore these two phenomena and the laws which describe them. After
performing this experiment and analyzing the data, you should be able to:
1. Describe the law of reflection and explain how it can be verified experimentally.
2. Explain Snell’s Law of refraction and its application to transparent materials.
3. Explain what the index of refraction tells one about a transparent material and how it can be
measured experimentally.
Part 1—Law of Reflection
When a light wave, pictured as a light ray, encounters a discontinuity in the medium, some of the
light is reflected back. A mirror is a special surface designed to reflect nearly all the light that hits it.
We can describe the reflection using the following quantities:
q = The angle of Incidence
i
Plane
Observer Mirror
q = The angle of Reflection
r
Note: These two angles are measured with respect to
the NORMAL…the line perpendicular to the mirror’s
surface drawn at the point of incidence. θr
Normal
We might also be concerned with the following
quantities: θi
d = The Object distance
o
d = The Image distance
i
do di
l = The Object size
o lo li
l = The Image size
i
Object Image
In Part 1, we will explore the relationship between the angle of incidence and the angle of reflection.
Part 1: Procedure
1. Draw a line near the center of a sheet of paper to indicate where the mirror will be placed.
2. Very precisely draw the normal to the mirror.
3. Using the Light Box to generate a single skinny ray, shoot an incident ray at the mirror so
that it strikes the mirror at the point where you drew the normal.
Reflection and Refraction PHY 202a
4. Using a pencil make marks on the paper to indicate the position of the incident and reflected
rays. You can draw the rays completely once you have removed the light box and the mirror.
5. Measure the angle of incidence and the angle of reflection measuring from the normal.
Record.
6. Repeat for four other angles of incidence between 0° and 90°.
Part 2—Image Size and Distance
In Part 2, we will explore the relationships between the object size and distance and the image size
and distance for a plane mirror.
Part 2: Procedure
1. Draw a line from side-to-side across the middle of a Normal
Hi
sheet of paper. This is the mirror line.
2. Very precisely draw the normal to the mirror. It should
run from top to bottom down the center of the sheet.
3. In the bottom half of the page, draw a dumbbell shaped Mirror
Line
object parallel to the mirror centered on the normal.
Label one end “H ” = head and the other “T ” = tail. This
o o
will be your object.
OP1 OP2
4. In the bottom half of the page, choose two observation
points: observation point 1 (OP1) should be to the left of Ho To
Object
the object; observation point 2 (OP2) should be to the
right of the object.
5. Place the mirror on the mirror line.
6. Using the Light Box to generate a single skinny ray, shoot a ray so that it passes through the
head of the object, H , reflects off the mirror, and goes through observation point 1, OP1.
o
Using a pencil make marks to locate both the incident and reflected rays.
Similarly, shoot a ray so that it passes through the head of the object, H , reflects off the
o
mirror, and goes through observation point 2, OP2. Again, mark the incident and reflected
rays.
7. Use a ruler to complete the rays you marked above. In addition, track the rays from the
mirror to OP1 and OP2 back into the mirror as shown in the figure above. Where these two
rays intersect is where the image, H , of the head of the object appears.
i
8. Repeat step 6, shooting rays from the tail of the object, T , to OP1 and OP2.
o
9. Repeat step 7, continuing the lines from the mirror to OP1 and OP2 back into the mirror.
Where these two rays intersect is where the image, T , of the tail of the object appears.
i
10. Measure the size (length) of the object and image and record.
Measure the object and image distances (from the mirror) and record.
Compute Percent Differences between the object and image sizes and distances.
Reflection and Refraction PHY 202a
Part 3—Rotation of a Mirror
In Part 3, the mirror will be rotated through a known angle about the point of incidence. The
resulting shift in the reflected ray will be measured. There will be a simple relationship between the
angle of rotation of the mirror and the angular shift in the reflected ray.
Part 3: Procedure
1. Draw a mirror line and normal as above.
Place the mirror on the mirror line.
2. Place the Light Box (single skinny ray) to the left of the
normal and direct the ray toward the point where the
normal meets the mirror. Arrange the light box so that
the angle of incidence is around 50°.
3. Mark the incident and reflected rays.
4. Without moving the light box, rotate the mirror a small
but measurable angle (10-15°) about the point of
incidence. The incident ray should be the same as
above and should hit the mirror at the point where the
mirror and the normal meet.
5. Mark the new mirror line and the new reflected ray.
6. Remove the mirror and light box and complete all the
rays.
7. Measure the angle of mirror rotation q and record.
Measure the angle of deflection of the reflected ray f and record.
Compute the percent difference between 2q and f.
Part 4—Refraction and Snell’s Law
Up until now we have assumed that all the light was reflected at the mirror. If, however the mirror is
not perfect, like the surface of a glass or plastic block, some of the light will be reflected and some
will be transmitted. In addition, the transmitted ray will be bent or refracted.
The relevant quantities are:
Normal
q = The angle of Incidence
i Incident
Ray θi
q = The angle of Transmission
t
Again, these two angles are measured with respect to the
NORMAL…the line perpendicular to the interface drawn at ni Interface
the point of incidence. between two
nt
The amount of refraction depends on the angle of incidence, different
materials
and also on the materials on either side of the interface. For
example, light rays bend more upon passing from air into a
diamond than they do when they pass from air into water. Transmitted
θt Ray
Reflection and Refraction PHY 202a
The quantity that measures this tendency to bend light rays is called the index of refraction, n. In
the figure to the right, the index of refraction above the interface is denoted n (incident side) and the
i
index below is denoted n (transmitted side).
t
The relationship between the angles of incidence and transmission is given by Snell’s Law:
n i sin(θ i ) = n t sin(θ t )
In Part 4, we will measure the angles of transmission for several angles of incidence and use these to
€ of an acrylic block.
calculate the index of refraction
Part 4: Procedure
1. Draw a line near the center of a piece of paper. This will be the interface line…the long edge
of the rectangular acrylic block will be placed along this line.
2. Carefully draw the normal to this line extending it
above and below the interface line.
Normal
3. Position the Light Box (single skinny ray) so that a
ray strikes the interface at an angle at the point where Incident
Transmitted
the interface and the normal meet. Rays
(Refracted)
Rays
4. Carefully mark the rays. Interface
NOTE: there are three sections of each ray that we Line
need to be able to reconstruct:
The incident ray before it strikes the interface.
The transmitted ray inside the block.
The ray that emerges from the far side of the
block (make sure that this ray emerges from
the side of the block that is parallel to the
initial interface).
5. Measure the angle of incidence and record.
Measure the angle of transmission and record.
6. Repeat steps 3-5 for three more angles of incidence between 0 and 90°.
7. Using your measured angles, calculate the index of refraction for acrylic. Assume that the
index of refraction for air is 1 (a very good approximation).
Average your values and compare to the accepted value of n =1.490-1.492.
acrylic
Reflection and Refraction PHY 202a
DATA TABLES
Part 1—Law of Reflection
Angle of Incidence = q i Angle of Reflection = q r
Based on your observations, what is the relationship between q and q ?
I r
This is the Law of Reflection.
Part 2—Image Size and Distance
Length of Object ____________________________
Length of Image ____________________________
Percent Difference ____________________________
Object Distance ____________________________
Image Distance ____________________________
Percent Difference ____________________________
Part 3—Rotation of a Mirror
Angle of Rotation, q ___________________________
2q ___________________________
Angle of deflection of reflected ray, f ___________________________
Reflection and Refraction PHY 202a
Percent Difference between 2q and f____________________________
Part 4—Refraction and Snell’s Law
Angle of Incidence = q i Angle of Transmission = q
t
Computed n
Average Index of Refraction n __________________________
Percent Error __________________________
Reflection and Refraction PHY 202a
Further Questions
1. A pane of ordinary window glass can be thought of as a mirror, albeit a very poor one: glass
transmits about 96% of the light that falls on it and only reflects about 4%.
Using the light box or some other fairly bright source as an object look into a pane of glass and
examine the image formed.
Do you notice two images, nearly on top of one another? Why should this be the case? Where
are the two separate images coming from?
2. Thinking again about windows as poor mirrors, why is it that when you look out through a
window at night you see your own reflection yet during the day you see right through the glass?
3. Based on your observations, draw conclusions about a) the relationship between the distance of
the object in front of a plane mirror and the distance of its image “behind” the mirror; and b) the
image magnification, i.e., the ratio of the size of the image to the size of the object.
4. Prove mathematically—make a geometrical argument—that when a plane mirror is rotated by an
angle q about its center point (as in Part 3), the angle of deflection, f, of the reflected ray is equal
to 2q. You will need to carefully draw a LARGE diagram and label all the angles you know, i.e.,
all the angles that are equal to q. Then, use geometrical relationships between the angles you
know and the angles you don’t know to eventually express the angle f in terms of q. You will
find that f = 2q.
5. In Part 4, notice that the rays that emerge from the far side of the block seem to be parallel to the
incident rays. Give a quick explanation of why this should be so. Then, use Snell’s Law to
prove that the doubly-refracted exiting rays are parallel to the incident rays. Hint: if two lines
make the same angle with a third line then they are parallel.
6. The index of refraction of a medium, n, can also be thought of as the ratio of the speed of light in
vacuum (c = 3x10 m/s) to the speed of light in that medium. In symbols:
8
c
n=
v
Notice that since c and v both have the same units, the index of refraction is unitless. Also, since
light travels faster in vacuum than in any other medium, the index of refraction is always greater
than or equal to 1.
Using the experimentally determined index of refraction for acrylic determined in Part 4,
calculate the speed of light in acrylic. Express this speed both as an absolute speed in “m/s” and
as a fraction of the speed of light in vacuum.
