EXPERIMENT NUMBER – 01

STUDENT’S NAME – Sritha Zith Dey Babu

STUDENT’S UID – 20BSC1032
CLASS AND GROUP – 20BSC1
SEMESTER – 2nd

AIM OF THE
EXPERIMENT–
Calculate the refrative Index of the Prism for various wavelengths of the
Mercury Spectrum and then plot a Dispersion and Calibration Curves
using a Prism Spectrometer.

APPARATUS-

Mercury lamp(as source of white light)

Sprectometer

Prism

Spirit level

Theory of experiment-

The spectrometer is an instrument for analyzing the spectra of radia-

tions. The glass-prism spectrometer is suitable for measuring ray
deviations and refractive indices. Sometimes a diffraction grating is used
in place of the prism for studying optical spectra. A prism refracts the
light into a single spectrum, whereas the diffraction grating divides the
available light into several spectra. Because of this, slit images formed
using a prism are generally brighter than those formed using a grating.
Spectral lines that are too dim to be seen with a grating can often be
seen using a prism. Unfortu-nately, the increased brightness of the
spectral lines is offset by a decreased resolution, since the prism doesn’t
separate the different lines as effectively as the grating. However, the
brighter lines allow a narrow slit width to be used, which partially
compensates for the reduced resolution. Therefore, to measure
wavelengths using a prism, a calibration graph of the angle of deviation
versus wavelength must be con-structed using a light source with a
known spectrum. The wavelength of unknown spectral lines can then be
interpolated from the graph. Once a calibration graph is created for the
prism, future wavelength determinations are valid only if they are made
with the prism aligned precisely as it was when the graph was produced.
To ensure that this alignment can be repro-duced, all measurements are
made with the prism aligned so that the light is refracted at the angle of
minimum deviation.

The light to be examined is rendered parallel by a collimator

consist-ing of a tube with a slit of adjustable width at one end and a
convex lens at the other. The collimator has to be focused by adjusting
the position of the slit until it is at the focal point of the lens. The parallel
beam of light from the collimator passes through a glass prism standing
on a prism-table which can be rotated, raised or lowered, and levelled.
The prism deviates the com-ponent colors of the emitted light by
different amounts and the spectrum so produced is examined by means
of a telescope, which is mounted on a rotating arm and moves over a
divided angular scale.

The theory of the prism spectrometer indicates that a spectrum of

maximum definition is obtained when the angular deviation of a light ray
passing through the prism is a minimum. Under such conditions it can be
shown that the ray passes through the prism symmetrically. For a given
wavelength of light traversing a given prism, there is a characteristic
angle of incidence for which the angle of deviation is a minimum. This
angle de-pends only on the index of refraction of the prism and the angle
between the two sides of the prism traversed by the light. The
relationship between these variables is given by the equation:
A+δm
sin( )
2
n=

sinA
 2

where n is the index of refraction of the prism and δ m is the angle

between the sides of the prism traversed by the light and is the angle of
minimum deviation. Since n varies with wavelength, the angle of
minimum deviation also varies, but it is constant for any particular
wavelength.

The telescope can also be locked or moved very slowly by a fine

adjust-ment screw and the instrument is provided with a heavy base for
stability. To obtain sharp spectral lines the slit width should be quite
small, about 0.1-0.3 mm.
The amount by which the visible spectrum spreads out into its con-
stituent colors depends on how rapidly the refractive index of the prism
material varies with the wavelength of the radiation, i.e. dndλ. This quantity
is called the dispersion and is of prime importance in spectroscopy, since
if the dispersion is small, radiation of slightly differing wavelengths
cannot be resolved into separate and distinct spectral lines.

• First the telescope has to be focussed distant objects i.e infinity and
this has to be maintained until the experiment is over, so as not to
refocus again. Then, the cross-wires should be focussed by moving the
eye-piece of the telescope.
• Adjust the Collimater such that the image seen in the telescope is
sharp of the slit without the prism.
 • Measuring the Angle of PrismA:Place the prism on the Prism Table and
lock the prism table in the position so the the incident beam falls on one
of the edges of the prism. Now, move the telescope and locate the
images of the slit and note down the angles. The difference beteen both
the angles is 2A. Hence, half of the diffece will give us A.
• Now, choose an angle of incidence other than the preious chosen one
and with eye locate aprroximately the angle at which the spectrum starts
to move in the opposite direction as the prism table is rotated, and lock
the prism table. Now, using the telescope, fix the telescope on one of the
sprectrum lines, and then use the fine adjustment for the movement of
prism tabe to move the table so that we get the precise location of the
angle where the line starts to move in the opposite direction, and note
the angle for this.

• Without disturbing anything, remove the prism and get the measure of
the angle of the direct image of the slit in the telescope. The difference
between these two angles is the Angle of Minimum Deviation δ m for this
spectral line λ. Repeat the same for all the spectral lines that are given by
the mercury lamp.

• From above data we can calculate the refractive index n of the prism
for various wavelengths. For the Calibration Curve, plot a graph of δ m
versus λ. For the Dispersion Curve, plot a graph of n versus λ.

OBSERVATIONS-
Measurement for RED light

UPPER SCALE LOWER SCALE

R R R R R R
1 2 3 1 2 3
◦
M.S.R 329.5 86.5◦ 8.5◦ 149.5 ◦
266 ◦
188◦
V.S.R 70 10 30 140 200 120
T.R 329◦370 86◦310 8◦33
0
149◦440 266◦200 188◦420

Measurement for YELLOW light

UPPER SCALE LOWER SCALE

R R R R R R
1 2 3 1 2 3
◦
M.S.R 329 86.5◦ 8.5◦ 149 ◦
266 ◦
188◦
V.S.R 270 10 30 360 200 120
T.R 329◦270 86◦310 8◦33
0
149◦360 266◦200 188◦420

. Measurement of GREEN light

UPPER SCALE LOWER SCALE

R1 R2 R3 R1 R2 R3
◦
M.S.R 329 86.5◦ 8.5◦ 149 ◦
266 ◦
188◦
0
V.S.R 50 10 30 20 20 120
T.R 329◦50 86◦310 8◦33
0
149◦20 266◦200 188◦420
. Measurement of BLUE light

UPPER SCALE LOWER SCALE

R1 R2 R3 R1 R2 R3
◦
M.S.R 328.5 86.5◦ 8.5◦ 148.5 ◦
266 ◦
188◦
V.S.R 50 10 30 120 200 120
T.R 328◦350 86◦310 8◦33
0
149◦420 266◦200 188◦420
. Measurement of VIOLET light

UPPER SCALE LOWER SCALE

R1 R2 R3 R1 R2 R3
M.S.R 327◦ 86.5◦ 8.5◦ 147◦ 266◦ 188◦
V.S.R 50 10 30 240 200 120
T.R 327 5 86◦310
◦ 0
8◦33
0
147◦240 266◦200 188◦420
CALCULATIONS-

• R1-one particular line of the spectrum at the position of minimum

devia-tion

• R2-the reflected ray coming from the prism

• R3-the image of the slit without the prism on the prism table
Angle of minimum deviation Dm = R1 ∼ R3
−

Angle of incidence for minimum deviation i = 90◦

Angle of prism A = 2i − Dm

Measurement for RED light

. The µ value = 1.48
Measurement for YELLOW light
. the µ value is = 1.49
Measurement of GREEN light
. The µ value is = 1.50
Measurement of BLUE light

. The µ value is = 1.51

Measurement of VIOLET light

. The µ value is = 1.54

• The behaviour of the Dispersion curve can be seen that the fall is
not rapid over these range of wavlengths, hence, it is not a very
heavily sloping line which implies that the dispersion of various
spectral line donot vary a lot from each other i.e which is
manifested by the closeness of the refractive index for the range of
wavelengths.It can be observed that the curve is roughly parabolic
in nature.The dispersion curve is as follows:
 Now, if µ be the refractive index of the medium, then by Cauchy’s for-mula,

µ = a + λb2

Now, we take two arbitray readings, say for RED and YELLOW light. Then, we put
the values of µ and λ and get two simultaneous equation. We solve for a and b.
The values are :

a = 1.42 and b = 23190.125

SOURCES OF ERROR-

1. The telescope and collimator should be individually set for parallel rays.

2. Slit should be as narrow as possible.

3. Both verniers should be read.

4. The prism should be properly placed on the prism table for the measurement of angle of the
prism as well as for the angle of minimum deviation.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION-

Thus, the mean refractive index of the material = 1.504

•It must be ensured that the light rays coming out of collimator are parallel.
Hence, the collimator must be focussed properly before the experiment.

•The plane on which the priam rests must be horizontal