.
S.B.O.A SCHOOL AND JUNIOR
COLLEGE
PHYSICS PROJECT
BATCH- 2022-2023
TOPIC: To determine the refractive
index of prism by drawing i-d curve
Name: Nareen Fathima
Class and sec: 12-A
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
I would like to owe the sense of gratitude
to our physics teacher Mrs Anne Manoj.
for her consistent guidance, support and
encouragement without which this project
would not able to exist in present shape.
I would also like to thank our Lab assistant
Mrs. Brinda and my parents for their help
in order to complete the project.
Introduction
Aim
C
O Apparatus Required
N
T formula and Theory
E
Procedure
N
T Observation & Calculation
S
Conclusion
Precautions
Bibliography
Introduction
Refractive index is the measure of bending
of a light ray when passing from one
medium to another. It has no units .
it was first discovered by Willebrord Snell
in 1621
Prism is a transparent optical element with
flat polished surfaces that refracts light
It was first discovered by Issac Newton in
1665 by passing sunlight through a narrow
slit then a prism to project the colored
spectrum on to a wall.
AIM
To determine
refractive index of
prism by drawing i-d curve
Apparatus required:
1. Drawing board
2. Prism
3. Drawing pins
4. Needle points steel pins
5. Drawing sheets
6. Scale, set square, protractor and sharp pencil
Formula
The refractive index of the prism
Is given by the formula:
= refractive index of the prism
= the angle of minimum deviation
r = angle of refraction
i = angle of incidence
A = angle of prism
THEORY
PRISM: A prism is a transparent optical element
with flat, polished surfaces that refract light. Prisms can
be made from any material that is transparent
including glass, plastic and fluorite.
A prism can be used to break light up into its
constituent spectral colors. Prisms can also be used
to reflect light, or to split light into components with
different polarizations.
REFRACTION:
The refractive index of the prism
Is given by the formula:
Where:
= refractive index of the prism
= the angle of minimum deviation
r = angle of refraction
i = angle of incidence
A = angle of prism
PROCEDURE
Fix a white sheet of paper on the drawing
board with help of drawing pins.
Keep the prism and mark the outline of it
as ABC.
Drop a normal PQ on the side AB.
Draw the angle of incidence in
accordance with the normal PQ and place
2 pins so that they appear to be in the
straight line.
Now take the pins and place them on the
side AC so that all the 4 pins appears to
be in same line.
Remove the prism and draw the line
joining the points so obtained.
The angle between the normal and the
emergent ray is the angle of the
emergent.
Extend both incident, emergent rays tell
they meet at the point M.
The angle between these two rays is the
angle of deviation.
Mark the diagram as shown in the figure.
Repeat this with different prisms and
different angle of incidence.
i-d curve:
Now draw a graph taking the angles of
incidence(i) on the x axis and the angle of
the deviation(d) on the y axis. Join these
points with a smooth curve which will be a
parabola.
From the graph the angle of the minimum
deviation can be calculated.
Angle of the prism A = 60
Therefore, substituting the values of the
angle of the prism A and the angle of the
minimum deviation(DM) in the formula of
the refractive index.
We can calculate the refractive index of
the material of the prism.
Tabulation:
s.No Angle of incidence Angle of deviation
(i) (D)
1. 30 40
2. 40 39
3. 45 37
4. 55 38
5. 60 40
Angle of the prism = 60
Angle of the minimum
deviation=37
Calculation
PRECAUTIONS
Angle of incidence should lie b/w 30-60
degree.
Pins should be vertically fixed and should
lie in same line.
Distance b/w two points should not be less
than 10mm.
Same angle of prism should be used for all
observation.
Arrow head should be marked to represent
emergent and incident ray.
Sources of error:
1. The pins are not fixed
vertically.
2. Pins pricks may be thick.
3. Prism is disturbed while
taking observation.
4. Measurement of the angle
may be wrong.
Result:
Refractive index of the material of
the prism is
BIBLIOGRAPHY
wikipedia.org
google.com
physicsforlife.com {physicsforlife.com}
earthphysics.com
