INDEX

 Refractive Index
 Equiconvex lens
 Plane mirror
 To find refractive index of
water and oil
 Aim
 Apparatus required
 Theory
 Procedure
 Observation
 Calculation
 Result
 Precautions
 Source of error
REFRACTIVE INDEX :
The ratio between the speed of light in medium to
speed in a vacuum is the refractive index. When
light travels in a medium other than the vacuum, the
atoms of that medium continually absorb and re-
emit the particles of light, slowing down the speed
light.

What Is Refractive Index?

Refractive index is defined as
The ratio of the speed of light in a vacuum to its speed in
a specific medium.
Refractive index is also referred to as refraction
index or index of refraction. The speed of light in a
medium depends on the properties of the medium.
In electromagnetic waves, the speed is dependent
on the optical density of the medium. Optical density
is the tendency of the atoms in a material to restore
the absorbed electromagnetic energy. The more
optically dense material is, the slower the speed of
light. One such indicator of the optical density of a
medium is the refractive index.

Refractive Index Formula

The refractive index is dimensionless. It is a number
that indicates the number of times slower than a
light wave would be in the material than it is in a
vacuum. The refractive index, represented by
symbol n, is the velocity of light in vacuum divided
by the velocity of light in a medium. The formula of
the refractive index is as follows:
n=

Where,
n is the refractive index
c is the velocity of light in a vacuum ( 3 × 108 m/s)
v is the velocity of light in a substance
The vacuum has a refractive index of 1. The
refractive index of other materials can be
calculated from the above equation. Higher the
refractive index, the higher the optical density and
slower is the speed of light.

Equiconvex lens :

Equiconvex lenses are also known as bi-convex

lenses. Equiconvex lenses are those lenses in
which the radius of both the surfaces is the same.
Focal lengths come in positive in the case of these
lenses making them most suitable for producing
real images in the magnification ratio of 1:1.
This type of convex lens has an equal slope of two
opposite curved surfaces. An equiconvex lens has a
power of 5 diopters. The radius of curvature of
either face of such lenses is basically equal to the
focal length of such lenses. The radius of curvature
of such lenses is ‘0.2m’.

Plane mirror :
A plane mirror is a mirror with a flat (planar) reflective
surface. For light rays striking a plane mirror, the angle
of reflection equals the angle of incidence. The angle of
the incidence is the angle between the incident ray and
the surface normal (an imaginary line perpendicular to
the surface).
Laws of Reflection
There are two laws of reflection which are always
followed by plane mirror and they are:
 The angle of incidence and the angle of reflection are

always equal.
 The incident ray, the normal at the point, and the

reflected ray, all lie on the same plane.

 “To find the refractive
indices of water and oil”
AIM :
To find the refractive indexes of (a)water (b) oil
using a plane mirror, an equiconvex lens, and an
adjustable object needle.

APPARATUS required :
 A convex lens • Glass slab
 A plane mirror • A spherometer
 Water
 Oil
 Clamp
 Stand
 an optical needle
 Plumb line
 Knitting needle
 Half meter scale
DIAGRAM:

Fig : Focal length of glass convex lens and

liquid lens combination
THEORY:
i. If f1 and f2 be the focal length of the glass
convex lens and liquid lens and f be the focal
length of their combination then:-

= or f2 =

ii. Liquid lens formed a Plano-concave kens with

R1 = R and R2 = ∞ then by using lens make’s
formula

( )⌊ ⌋

=( )⌊ ⌋

= (n-1)⌊ ⌋

n=

Where n=Refractive index of the liquid

R=The radius of the curvature of the convex lens.
iii. The radius of the lower surface of the convex
lens is given by

R=

Here, l is the average distance between the legs of

the spherometer and h is the difference in the
reading of the spherometer when placed first on the
convex lens and then on plane mirror.

PROCEDURE:
A. For focal length of convex
lens:

i. Find the rough focal length of the convex

lens.
ii. Place a plane mirror on the horizontal base
of the iron stand and then a convex lens on
the plane mirror.
iii. Hold the needle in the clamp stand and
adjust its position on the stand such that
 there is no parallax between tip of the
needle and its image.
iv. Measure distance between tip and upper
surface of the lens by using a plumb line
and half meter scale. Also measure the
distance between tip of needle and upper
surface of the mirror. Take the mean of the
two readings. This mean distance will be
equal to the focal length of the convex
lens(f1).

B. For focal length of the

combination.

i. Put a few drops of the water on the plane

mirror and put the convex lens over it with
its same face above as before. The water
spreads in a form of layer and acts like a
plano-concave lens.
ii. Repeat the steps 3 and 4 to determine the
equivalent focal length of the combination.
iii. Record the observation.
 iv. Repeat the steps 5,6,7 for other transparent
liquid(oil).

C. For radius of curvature of

convex lens surface:

i. Determine the pitch and the least count of

the spherometer.
ii. Remove the convex lens and dry it
completely. Put the spherometer on this
lens surface.
iii. All the three legs of the spherometer
should be placed symmetrically on the lens
and adjust the central screw tip to touch the
surface of the lens.
iv. Remove the spherometer from the surface
of the lens and place on the plane mirror
surface and record the reading.
v. Repeat the steps 10 and 11 three times.
vi. Obtain the impressions of the three legs of
the spherometer on a paper and mark them
and their average distance.
 l=

OBSERVATIONS:
Rough focal length of convex lens = 21 cm

CALCULATION:
(i) = 21 cm

(ii) = 14 cm
(iii) = 42.42 cm (water)
= 35 cm (oil)
(iv) = 1.33 cm (water)
= 1.4 cm (oil)
RESULTS:
1. The refractive index of water = 1.33
2. The refractive index of other liquid = 1.4

PRECAUTIONS:
1. The plane mirror should be clean and fully
shining surface.
2. The liquid taken should be transparent.
3. The parallax should be removed tip to tip.
4. The eye should be at a distance about 30 cm
from the needle while removing the parallax.
5. Only few drops of liquid should be taken so
that its layer should be thick.
6. The legs of the spherometer should be
vertical.
The centre leg of the spherometer should turn in
one direction only.
SOURCES OF ERROR:
1. Liquid may not be quite transparent.
2. The parallax may not be fully removed.
3. The spherometer legs should be placed
symmetrical on the surface of the convex
lens.
4. The tip of the central screw should not just
touch the surface of lens or mirror.
 Bibliography :

https://www.wikipedia.org/

https://brainly.in/

https://unacademy.com/