Reflection and Refraction Lab:
1. Use the PheT simulation found at:
https:
phet.colorado.edu/sims/html
ending-light/latest
ending-light_en.html
2. Select the simulation labelled “Intro”.
3. Select "Ray" in the upper left corner. Set the top medium to "Air" and the bottom medium to "water". Use the Protractor tool to measure the angles of the incident and reflected rays. Change the position of the source, and repeat for 5 different incident angles. Record your results in the first two rows of the table below:
Incident Angle
Reflected Angle
Refracted Angle (water)
Refracted Angle (glass)
Refracted Angle (air with n = 1.15)
Refracted Angle (air with n = 1.25)
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
4. What do you notice about the incident and reflected angles in your table?
5. State the Law of Reflection here. Does your data support this law? Why or Why not?
6. Now we will investigate refraction. Using the protractor tool, complete column 3 of the table by measuring the refracted angle for each of the incident angles you chose. What happens to the refracted angle as the incident angle changes?
7. Change the bottom material to "glass" and complete column 4 of the table by measuring the refracted angle for each of the incident angles you chose. What happens to the refracted angle as the incident angle changes?
8. Reset the bottom material to "water" and increase the index of refraction for the top material so that it is XXXXXXXXXXComplete column 5 of the table by measuring the refracted angle for each of the incident angles you chose. What happens to the refracted angle as the incident angle changes?
9. Reset the bottom material to "water" and increase the index of refraction for the top material so that it is XXXXXXXXXXComplete column 5 of the table by measuring the refracted angle for each of the incident angles you chose. What happens to the refracted angle as the incident angle changes?
10. State Snell's law of refraction. For your initial angle of incidence (row 1 in the table), calculate the refracted angle for each of the situations in columns 3 - 6 of the table. Record your calculations below. Do your calculated results match the angles you measured above?
Incident Angle
Calculated angle - wate
Calculated angle - glass
Calculated angle (n = 1.15)
Calculated angle (n = 1.25)
11. Summarize what you have learned by doing this lab (300 words minimum).