Certificate

Acknowledgement
Aim
Apparatus required
Introduction
Theory
Formula
Diagram
Procedure
Observations(tables+graphs)
Calculations
Results/conclusion
Precautions and sources of errors
Bibliography?

Aim-
to investigate the dependence of the angle of deviation, on the angle of
incidence, using hollow prism filled, one by one, with different transparent
fluids.
Apparatus Required
Drawing sheet, drawing board, pins, a hollow glass prism and various liquids
under study.
Introduction
When light is incident on the interface of two mediums, it deviates from its
original path. This phenomenon is known as refraction. The basic cause of
refraction is the change in the velocity of light while going from one medium to
another. The velocity of light is different in different mediums, depending
primarily on the density of the medium. In a denser medium, velocity of light is
lower. Thus light tends to ‘bend’ or deviate more from its original path, which,
in turn, implies that the medium has greater refractive index. By measuring the
angle of deviation and its variation with angle of incidence, we can find the
minimum angle of deviation.
The liquid under study is taken in a hollow prism. Four refractions take place-
first at the air -glass interface; second at the glass-liquid interface; third at the
liquid-glass interface and lastly at the glass-air interface.
Theory
A prism is a portion of transparent medium bounded by two plane faces
inclined to each other at a suitable angle. The angle between them is the
refracting angle or the angle of prism. The line where two refracting faces meet
is called the refracting edge of the prism. A section made by the plane at right
angles to the refracting edge of the prism is called the principal section of the
prism.
In optics, a prism is a transparent optical element with flat, polished surfaces
that refract light. The exact angles between the surfaces depend on the
application. The traditional geometrical shape is that of a triangular prism with
a triangular base and rectangular sides, and in colloquial use "prism" usually
refers to this type. Prisms can be made from any material that is transparent to
the wavelengths for which they are designed. Typical materials include glass,
plastic and fluorite.
A prism can be used to break light up into its constituent spectral colours (the
colours of the rainbow). Prisms can also be used to reflect light, or to split light
into components with different polarizations.
How does a prism work
Light changes speed as it moves from one medium to another (for example,
from air into the glass of the prism). This speed change causes the light to be
refracted and to enter the new medium at a different angle. The degree of
bending of the light's path depends on the angle that the incident beam of light
makes with the surface, and on the ratio between the refractive indices of the
two media (Snell's law).
The refractive index of many materials (such as glass) varies with the
wavelength or colour of the light used, a phenomenon known as dispersion.
This causes light of different colours to be refracted differently and to leave the
prism at different angles, creating an effect similar to a rainbow. This can be
used to separate a beam of white light into its constituent spectrum of colours.
Prisms will generally disperse light over a much larger frequency bandwidth
than diffraction gratings, making them useful for broad-spectrum spectroscopy.
Furthermore, prisms do not suffer from complications arising from overlapping
spectral orders, which all gratings have. Prisms are sometimes used for the
internal reflection at the surfaces rather than for dispersion. If light inside the
prism hits one of the surfaces at a sufficiently steep angle, total internal
reflection occurs and all of the light is reflected. This makes a prism a useful
substitute for a mirror in some situations.
Derivation of prism formula and formula
(handwritten)
Diagram -
Procedure
1) Fix the sheet of white paper on the drawing board with drawing pins.
2) Place the prism filled with liquid on the paper and trace its boundary
ABC.
3) Mark a point O on one of the refracting surfaces and draw a normal
to the surface at this point.
4) Draw a straight line PQ corresponding to incident ray drawn at a
suitable angle with the normal.
5) Fix two pins P and Q about 5cm apart on the incident ray line and
view its image with one eye closed from one side of the prism(AC). Fix
two pins R and S such that the tips of these pins and the tips of the
images of the incident ray pins P, Q lie in the same straight line.
6) Encircle the pinpricks on the paper. Remove the pins P and Q and also
the encircle their pinpricks.
7) Join points S and R and produce it backwards to meet the incident ray
PQ produced. Thus, RS is the emergent ray corresponding to the
incident ray PQ. Draw arrowheads to show the direction of the rays.
8) Measure the angle of deviation δ with protractor and measure prism
angle.
9) Repeat the above steps for different angle of deviations.
10) Repeat the experiment with different liquids.

Observations
Liquid 1- Water
S.No. Angle of incidence Angle of deviation
1. 35°
2. 40°
3. 45°
4. 50°
5. 55°
Liquid2-
 S.No. Angle of incidence Angle of deviation
1. 35°
2. 40°
3. 45°
4. 50°
5. 55°

Liquid3-
S.No. Angle of incidence Angle of deviation
1. 35°
2. 40°
3. 45°
4. 50°
5. 55°

Graphs-
Results
The angle of deviation first decreases with increase in angle of incidence attains
a minimum value and then increases with further increase in the angle of
incidence.
Precautions and sources of errors
1) A sharp pencil should be used
2) Proper arrows should be drawn to indicate the incident, the refracted
and the emergent rays.
3) A smooth curve passing through all the point should be drawn.
4) The same angle of prism should be used for all observations.
5) Pins should have sharp tips and placed vertically.
6) Visibility of pins may be low for coloured liquids, they may be illuminated
by a source of light.