1

Determining the Index of Refraction Using Snell’s Law

Student’s Name

Institution

Course

Instructor

Date
 2

Determining the Index of Refraction Using Snell’s Law

Introduction

Refraction is a common and a natural phenomenon that occurs literally every time

light passes between two points. In 1621, Willebrord Snell, a Dutch astronomer, discovered

the mathematical applications of refraction, resulting in Snell's law. This law is the bedrock

of modern optics. Light travels at a specific rate. It is easy to see refraction in everyday life

when speed causes the light to bend. Through prisms, glittering stars and the sun dog effect

are just a few instances of how this phenomenon is manifested. Glass is an excellent common

example of light refraction. The text on a sheet of paper will appear closer to the surface if a

piece of glass is placed on top of it because of the different angle at which light is bending.

Snell's law is based on the fact that light rays refract at an angle due to the bending. In this

experiment, we can therefore validate the law.

Snell’s law states that, “the ratio of the sine of angle of incidence to the sine of angle

of refraction is a constant for any given pair of media.” This constant is known as the index

of refraction. To get the refractive index, the law is employed in ray tracing in the calculation

of the incidence or refraction angles. Light rays bend due to changes in refractive index. The

law is expressed as;

sin ⅈ
n = , where;
sin r

n is the refractive index

i is the incidence angle

r is the refraction angle

When the incidence angle reaches a certain value, the refracted ray of light exhibits a

refraction angle of 90 degrees from the normal; this angle is referred to as the critical angle,

and it is the maximum incidence angle at which refraction can still occur. The critical angle is

computed as;
 3

θcritical = Sin-1 (n2/n1), with n1 > n2

There are many uses for Snell's law in physics, especially in optics, such as optical

fiber. Eyeglasses, cameras, contact lenses, and rainbows all contain it. Snell's law is used to

calculate the refractive index of liquids using a refractometer. Often employed in the

confectionery industry. An optical law known as Snell's law explains how a beam of light

travels over a boundary of two interacting substances and their corresponding refractive

indices. To apply Snell's law, a material must be either isotropic or specular (such as glass). It

is possible to break the refracted beam into two rays: the ordinary ray (o-ray) which is

coplanar with Snell's law, and the extraordinary (e-beam), which is not necessarily coplanar

with the incident beam.

Experimental Details

Table 1: Experimental Values

Medium 1 – Air
Medium 2 - Glass
Angle of incidence, i (°) Angle of refraction, r (°)
10 6.5
20 13
30 19
40 25
50 30
60 34
70 39

Results

Table 2: Calculated Values

Sin i Sin r n = sin i / sin r

0.174 0.113 1.540
0.342 0.225 1.520
0.500 0.326 1.534
0.643 0.423 1.520
0.766 0.500 1.532
0.866 0.559 1.550
0.940 0.629 1.494
Average (n) 1.527
 4

Average value = (1.540+1.520+1.534+1.520+1.532+1.550+1.494) / 7

= 1.527

Graph 1: Sin i against Sin r

A Graph of Sin i vs Sin r

0.7
0.629
0.6
0.559
0.5 0.5
0.423 Sin r
0.4
Linear (Sin r)
Sin i

0.326
0.3 Linear (Sin r)
Linear (Sin r)
0.225
0.2
0.113
0.1
0
0.174 0.342 0.5 0.643 0.766 0.866 0.94
Sin r

Slope (n) = Sin i / Sin r

= (0.766 – 0.500) / (0.500 – 0.326)

= 1.529

From the above calculations, the value of refractive index of glass obtained is 1.529.

The observed refractive index value is 1.50. Therefore, percentage error can be calculated as;

Percentage error = [(obtained value – observed value) / observed value] * 100%

= [(1.529 – 1.50) / 1.50] * 100%

= 1.933%

Discussion

The results are acceptable since they fall within the permitted value range and the

percentage error is so low that the value is very near to what is expected. It was determined

that the index of refraction of glass was 1.529, with a percentage error of 1.933 % due to

human mistake and reading errors, which is relatively low given the potential for human and
 5

reading errors. Also, this experiment's systematic error is so minimal, and this can be seen by

looking at the y-intercept on the graph, which is a small value.

In order to further improve the experiment's accuracy and precision, it is necessary to

revise the methods used to regulate the variables. The following are some potential stumbling

blocks and possible workarounds for reducing percentage inaccuracy. The angles could only

be precisely calculated to a factor of 0.5 because they were measured with a protractor to the

nearest degree. A protractor with minute-of-arc measurements would be more accurate. Only

one protractor was used in order to ensure that all measurements were accurate. As a means

of increasing accuracy, all data was collected quantitatively instead of qualitatively. An extra

layer of trustworthiness was added by repeating the experiment seven times from various

perspectives. Only the angle of incidence (an independent variable) was altered, resulting in a

shift in the angle of refraction, because all other variables were held constant (dependent

variable).

Conclusion

This experiment proved the Snell's law of refraction. It showed that the sine of a

beam's incidence angle divided by the sine of its refraction angle produced a straight

increasing line when graphed. Angles of incidence and refraction are not equal, and this

causes light to be bent, which is called refraction. When light travels through a material with

a different refractive index, its path changes. As a result, this aspect of the experiment was

shown to be right as well. Angle of incidence is always bigger than the angle of incidence,

meaning that light bends toward normal while traveling from rarer (air) to denser (glass)

media, and the other way around, according to the measurements. If we look at a linear graph,

we can see that angles of incidence and refraction are directly proportional to each other.

Consequently, the hypothesis was proven correct.

 6

In conclusion, Snell's law of refraction was at the center of this experiment, and it was

discovered the water's index of refraction and the angle at which entire refraction occurs.

Because we were able to understand Snell's law and how it leads to a critical angle, we were

able to anticipate the angle of refraction correctly. Snell's law could also be questioned as to

its relevance in the real world. And a straightforward answer would be to prescribe glasses, as

the same concept is used to create glasses that correct for eye anomalies. Other applications

of the law have been discussed above.

 7

References

Douglas College Physics Department. (n.d.). The Law of Refraction – Snell’s Law.

Pressbooks. https://pressbooks.bccampus.ca/introductorygeneralphysics2phys1207/

chapter/25-3-the-law-of-refraction/

Najam Academy. (2021, April 26). Snell’s Law of Refraction of Light | Physics [Video].

YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q8qAHAF3a6k.

The Physics Classroom. (1996–2021). Physics Tutorial: Snell’s Law of Refraction.

https://www.physicsclassroom.com/class/refrn/Lesson-2/Snell-s-Law