Introduction: Optics and the speed of light
You can’t see in the dark because sight requires light to bounce off objects and enter our eyes. So what you are seeing is the light. This wasn’t always so obvious, and there were a variety of creative theories about how we see – including one that suggested the eyes emit rays that hit an object to see it. Since vision is actually a consequence of light bouncing off something and entering your eye, we can understand optical effects as a result of manipulating light.
In Exercise 1, you will use Snell’s Law to make predictions about how different mediums with different ‘indices of refraction’ affect the speed and the direction of light.
In Exercise 2, you will set up an experiment to test Snell’s Law. You will also be asked to make some initial (qualitative) observations that will set the stage for a more quantitative analysis.
In Exercise 3, you will plot some of the data you collected in Exercise 2. You will be asked to use your data to determine the index of refraction of water, and expand your results to make predictions about similar scenarios.
Learning Objectives
Set yourself the following learning outcomes for this lab:
By the end of this lab, I will be able to
- Distinguish between refraction and reflection.
- Use angles of refraction and trigonometry to determine a material’s ‘index of refraction’.
- Identify the conditions required for ‘total internal reflection’.
But before any of that, you’ll want to get yourself warmed up!
