Light - Lab Report MYP 4

Unit: Waves
Topic: Electromagnetic Waves
Global Context: Personal and cultural expression
Key Concept: Relationships
Related Concept: Energy, Form, Function, Transformation
ATL skills: Thinking, communication
Learner’s Profile: Thinkers, Communicators
SOI: Innovative devices transform matter and energy to satisfy human needs and desires

Criteria B and C

https://phet.colorado.edu/sims/html/bending-light/latest/bending-light_all.html
Use the above link for the simulation and take the observations.
Use three different materials and take 3 observations of each material
Follow the pattern of the lab report discussed in class.

Lab Report- Light

Research Question: Investigate what change occurs to the angle of refraction when light rays
pass through different mediums.
Aim: My aim is to find the refractive index and how the different mediums affect the angle of
refraction. The reason for this is because I’ve always been interested in the properties of light and
how it can be refracted through the different mediums.
Hypothesis: If light rays pass through different substances then the angle of refraction will
change based on the refractive index of the medium.
This hypothesis is related to the Snell’s Law which is also known as the law of refraction. This
rule describes how light changes direction as it travels from one medium with a different
refractive index to another. It's a fundamental optical principle.
Variables:
  Independent: The independent variable will be the angle of incidence and refractive as
we will be changing the angle of incidence and the refractive to get the results to our
research question and the validity of our hypothesis.
 Dependent: Angle of refraction will change as when we change the refractive and angle
of incidence the results will vary and we’ll get the required observations when we change
both things.
 Controlled: Concentration of light ray from the laser should stay the same as things can
change and it won’t be as evened out and a perfect observation if the concentration of
light varies as the angle of refraction can be more or less then.

Procedures:
 Gather all necessary materials
 Add protractor in middle to measure the angle of refraction and incidence.
 Add a rare medium at the top
 Add a denser medium at the bottom
 Shoot the light ray out of the laser at any degree as the angle of incidence in the
protractor.
 Observe angle of incidence and refraction
 Document received values
 Take out Sin i, Sin r and refractive index and complete one observation in the table.
 Repeat this three times with three different mediums for three observations with three
different medium combinations.
Materials:
 Water
 Glass
 Air
 Source of Light
 Protractor
 Calculator
Safety Measures:
 Eye Goggles
 Gloves
 Large available amount of space

Result/Data Table:
Medium 1: Air, Medium 2: Glass
Serial Angle of Angle of Sin (i) Sin (r) Refractive
Number Incidence Refraction Index
1 60* 30* 0.866 0.5 1.732
2 40* 20* 0.643 0.342 1.880
3 30* 15* 0.5 0.259 1.931
Medium 1: Water, Medium 2: Glass
Serial Angle of Angle of Sin (i) Sin (r) Refractive
Number Incidence Refraction Index
1 80* 60* 0.985 0.866 1.137
2 50* 30* 0.766 0.5 1.532
3 20* 15* 0.342 0.259 1.320

Medium 1: Air, Medium 2: Water

Serial Angle of Angle of Sin (i) Sin (r) Refractive
Number Incidence Refraction Index
1 55* 32* 0.819 0.523 1.566
2 80* 36* 0.985 0.588 1.675
3 30* 18* 0.5 0.309 1.618

Evidences:
First set of Mediums:
Second set of Mediums:

Third set of Mediums:

Conclusion:

We investigated how light bends, or refracts, when it passes from one substance to another in our
experiment. We discovered that the angle of refraction changes when light passes through
different substances, precisely as I predicted in my hypothesis. This change is caused by
something known as the refractive index. Light slows and bends when it travels from air to glass
or water. We measured the bending and applied math to get the refractive index. Our findings
revealed that the refractive index varies amongst the materials we studied. As a result, our guess
was right. When light passes through different materials, its angle changes, and we may quantify
this with the refractive index.
Evaluation:
This experiment's data is reasonably related to the study topic and hypothesis. The results reveal
that when light passes through different materials, the angle of refraction changes, and the
predicted refractive indices are consistent with scientific principles. It is important to remember,
however, that there may be some measurement mistakes since actual values may not precisely
match theoretical expectations. If I were to replicate the experiment, I would make a few
changes. To begin, I would improve precision in measuring angles using the protractor, which
might have resulted in some disparities. Second, I would repeat each trial more than once to
produce a more solid average result and lessen the influence of outliers. To expand on the
experiment, I could look at how changes in the angle of incidence or the use of various materials
affect the angle of refraction and refractive index. Furthermore, investigating the link between
wavelength and refractive index, as well as conducting tests at different temperatures.
References:

Bending Light 1.1.30. (2023). Colorado.edu.

https://phet.colorado.edu/sims/html/bending-light/latest/bending-light_all.html

Snell’s law | Definition, Formula, & Facts | Britannica. (2023). In Encyclopædia Britannica.

https://www.britannica.com/science/Snells-law