Fire the Laser, Bend that Light Ray

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A Scientific Paper

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In Partial Fulfillment of the

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by:

Leader: Angelica Mae Alconcel

Members: Jilian Marc Adoc

Rheyza Mae Amin

Jayson Cabanig

Edwin Jerick Palacpac

Jonabele Rabaca

Guille Angel Ruiz

Group 2
12-Democritus

May 24, 2023

III. METHODOLOGY

IV. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

Angle of Incidence Angle of Reflection

15° 15°

30° 30°

45° 45°

60° 60°

80° 80°
Conclusion:
 The law of reflection states that when a ray of light reflects off a surface, the angle of
incidence is equal to the angle of reflection. The angle of incidence and the angle of reflection is
always equal as they are both on the same plane along with the normal.

Part 2. REFRACTION TOTAL INTERNAL REFLECTION

1. Are there conditions under which the incident light ray undergoes reflection but
not transmission at the boundary? If so, then what are those conditions?
- Yes there are conditions where the incident light ray undergoes reflection but not
transmission at the boundary. It is when the ray passes from a denser medium to a less
dense medium. At angles of incidence greater than the critical angle, light cannot pass
through the second medium. Instead it is reflected back to the first medium.
2. Are there conditions under which the incident light ray undergoes transmission
across the boundary without actually bending (or refracting)? If so, then what are those
conditions?
- Yes, there are conditions under which the incident light ray undergoes transmission
without refraction. First would be if the index of refractors are the same and second is
when the angle of incidence is equal to the boundary.
3. The amount of light that undergoes reflection or transmission is demonstrated by
how bright the reflected or transmitted ray is. Under what conditions is the amount of
transmission maximized and the amount of reflection minimized?
- The amount of transmission is maximized and the amount of reflection is minimized
when the angle of incidence is less than the critical angle of medium. As observed,
the ray of reflection is dimmer if the angle of incidence is less than the critical angle
of the medium.
4. What effect does an increase in the angle of incidence have upon the angle of
reflection?
- Based on the law of reflection of light, The angle of incidence is equal to the angle
of reflection .This shows that an increase of the angle of incidence will increase
the angle of reflection.
5. What effect does an increase in the angle of incidence have upon the angle of
refraction?
- The Snell’s law which states that , therefore, an increase in angle of
incidence will increase the angle of refraction
6. Under what conditions are the angles of incidence greater than the angles of
refraction?
- The angle of incidence is greater than the angle of refraction if the index of refraction of the
first medium is higher than the second medium. In this case, the ray of light passes from a
denser medium to a less dense medium. That is based on Snell’s law which states that if
the n(1) is greater than n(2), the angle of refraction is always larger than the angle of
incidence.
7. Every substance has its own unique index of refraction (n). For light passing from
air to another material, what effect does increasing the angle of incidence have upon the
angle of refraction?
- Increasing the angle of incidence will increase the angle of refraction.
8. Under what conditions is the angle of incidence greater than the angle of
refraction? And under what conditions is the angle of incidence less than the angle of
refraction?
- The angle of incidence is greater than the angle of refraction when the ray passes
from an optically less dense medium to a denser medium. Meanwhile, the angle of
incidence is less than the angle of refraction if the ray passes from an optically denser
medium to a less dense medium. Based on Snell’s law equation, n 1 × sin(θ1) = n2 ×
sin(θ2), if the n(1) is greater than n(2), the angle of refraction is always larger than the
angle of incidence. While if n(2) is greater than n(1), the angle of refraction is always
smaller than the angle of incidence.
9. How does the index of refraction of Unknown #1 compared to the index of
refraction of oil?

- The incident angle that we used is 45 degrees while the angle of refraction is 72
degrees. Based on the solution above, the refractive index of Unknown #1 (n=1.977)
is larger than the refraction index of oil (n=1.47). That means that the unknown #1 is
denser since the refractive index of unknown #1 is greater than the oil.
10. How does the index of refraction of Unknown #2 compared to the index of
refraction of oil?

- The incident angle that we used is 45 degrees while the angle of refraction is 58
degrees. Based on the solution above, the refractive index of Unknown #2 (n=1.763)
is larger than the refraction index of oil (n=1.47). That means that the unknown #2 is
denser because the refractive index of unknown #2 is greater than the oil.
11. Where does the light ray refract when it passes from a less dense medium to a
denser medium, and vice versa?
 - When a ray passes from an optically less dense medium to a denser medium, it is
refracted toward the normal. If light passes from an optically denser medium to a less
dense medium, it is refracted away from the normal.
V. CONCLUSION
Based on the law of reflection, the angle of incidence is equal to the angle of reflection

(θr=θi). Regardless of the angle at which the wavefronts approach the barrier, one general law of
reflection is that the waves will always reflect in such a way that the angle at which they
approach the barrier equals the angle at which they reflect off the barrier. Meanwhile, in the law
of refraction, when the ray passes from an optically less dense medium to a denser medium, the
angle of incidence is greater than the angle of refraction. On the other hand, the angle of
incidence is less than the angle of refraction if the ray passes from an optically denser medium to
a less dense medium. The Index of Refraction (n) is a factor that causes this, just like in Snell's
law, n1 × sin(θ1) = n2 × sin(θ2), that if n(1) is greater than n(2), the angle of refraction is always
larger than the angle of incidence; consequently, if n(2) is greater than n(1), the angle of
refraction is always smaller than the angle of incidence.