ON

TOPIC:-To find the refractive indices of (a) water (b) oil

(transparent) using a plane mirror, an equiconvex lens
(made from a glass of known refractive index) and an
adjustable object needle.
As per the partial requirement of AISSCE-2023-24, conducted by CBSE.

SUBMITTED BY UNDER THE SUPERVISION OF

Name –AYUSH KUMAR PARIDA Mr. Samaresh Mishra
Class – XII Delhi Public School, Kalinga
AISSCE Roll No -
 Contents

Sl no. Page no.

1. Bonafide Certificate 1
2. Acknowledgement 2
3. Aim of the project 3
4. Materials required 4
5. Theory 5
6. Diagram 6
7. Experiment Background 7
8. Procedure 8
9. Observation 9
10. Calculation 10
11. Result/findings 11
12. Inference 11
13. Bibliography 12
 Bonafide Certificate

This is to certify that the project entitled“To find the refractive

indices of (a) water (b) oil (transparent) using a plane mirror, an
equiconvex lens (made from a glass of known refractive index) and
an adjustable object needle.” has been conducted and completed
successfully by AYUSH KUMAR PARIDA of class XII under my
direct supervision and guidance.This embodies the original work
done by him/her.

Signature of the teacher

 Acknowledgement

I am highly indebted to Mr. Samaresh Mishra, my guide of this project,

for his guidance and encouragement, without which it would have been

difficult for me to complete this project work. I am also highly grateful to

Principal Madam, DPS Kalinga for allowing me to use the facilities of the

physics lab. I express my gratitude to each and every member of the

physics department for their help and cooperation.

I also place on record my sincere thanks to my family members for the

constant encouragement and support.

Signature of the student

AIM OF PROJECT

To find the refractive indices of (a) water (b) oil (transparent) using a
plane mirror, an equiconvex lens (made from a glass of known refractive
index) and an adjustable object needle.
MATERIALS REQUIRED

• Plane mirror

• Equiconvex lens made from a glass of known refractive index

• Adjustable object needle mounted on a stand

• Transparent container

• Water

• Transparent oil

• White screen or sheet of paper

THEORY
 If f1 and f2 be the focal length of the glass convex lens and liquid
lens and f be the focal length of their combinations then:-

𝟏 𝟏 𝟏 𝑭𝒇𝟐
= + 𝒐𝒓 𝒇𝟐 =
𝑭 𝒇𝟏 𝒇𝟐 𝒇𝟏 − 𝑭

 Liquid lens formed a Plano-concave lens with R1=R and R2=∞ then
by using lens’s make formula

𝟏 𝟏 𝟏
= (𝒏 − 𝟏) ⌊ − ⌋
𝒇𝟐 𝑹𝟏 𝑹𝟐
𝟏 𝟏
= (𝒏 − 𝟏) ⌊ − ⌋
𝑹𝟏 ∞
𝟏
= (𝒏 − 𝟏𝟎) ⌊ − 𝟎⌋
𝑹𝟏
𝟏 𝒏−𝟏
=
𝒇𝟐 𝑹

𝑹
𝒏= +𝟏
𝒇𝟐
Where n= Refractive index of the liquid
R= the radius of the curvature of the convex lens.

 The radius of the lower surface of the convex lens is given by:-

𝒍𝟐 𝒉
𝑹= +
𝟔𝒉 𝟐

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 the plane mirror.
DIAGRAM
EXPERIMENTAL BACKGROUND

This experiment demonstrates the principles of optics, specifically Snell's

Law and the lens formula, to determine the refractive indices of water and
transparent oil. By understanding how light behaves as it passes through
different mediums, students gain valuable insights into the fundamental
concepts of optics and refraction.

The refractive index of a medium indicates how much light slows down
or bends as it passes through that medium. This experiment aims to
measure the refractive indices (μ) of water and transparent oil using a
combination of a plane mirror, an equiconvex lens, and an adjustable
object needle. By employing the principles of optics and Snell's Law, the
experiment allows for a practical demonstration of how light behaves
when it passes through different transparent substances.
PROCEDURE

1.Take any one convex lens and find its rough focal length.

2. Take a plane mirror and place it on the horizontal base of the iron stand.

3. Place the convex lens on the plane mirror.

4. Screw tight the optical needle in the clamp of the stand and hold it
horizontally above the lens at distance equal to its rough focal length.

5. Bring the tip of the needle at the vertical principal axis of the lens, so
that tip of the needle appears touching the tip of its image.

6. Move the needle up and down and remove parallax between tips of the
needle and its image.

7. Measure distance between tip and upper surface of the lens by using a
plumb line and half metre scale.

8. Also measure distance between tip and the surface of its plane mirror.
OBSERVATION
Pitch of the spherometer = 1cm
Least count of the spherometer = 0.01cm
Distance between the lens:
AB=3cm
BC=3cm
CA=3cm
Table for calculation of ‘h’
S.No Initial No. of Final Additional h=n*pitch Mean “h”
reading of complete reading C.S +m*L.C (cm)
the C.S on rotations of the c.s div.moved
the convex (n) on the
lens glass slab
(a)

1 62 0 6.5 55.5 0.555

2 64 0 4 60 0.6 0.5775

To measure focal length ‘f’ of convex lens

Area S.No Tip of the upper Upper Mean Focal

between surface of the surface of 𝑥1 + 𝑥2 length
lens and convex lens the plan 𝑥= (cm)
2
plan mirror (cm) mirror(cm)
X1 X2
Without 1 30.5 31 30.75 f1 =33.85
liquid
2 36.7 37.2 36.95

With water 1 31.4 31.8 31.6 f2 =34.7

2 37.5 38.1 37.8

With oil 1 9.4 9.6 9.5 f3=10

2 10.4 10.6 10.5

CALCULATIONS
 Mean distance between two legs:

𝐴𝐵 + 𝐵𝐶 + 𝐶𝐴
𝑙= = 3𝑐𝑚
3

 Mean of h:

= (0.555+0.6)/2 = 0.5775cm

 To find the radius of the curvature of the convex lens:

𝑙2 ℎ
𝑅= + = 2.8861𝑐𝑚
6ℎ 2

 Measurement of refractive index of water and oil:

i)With water between the convex lens and the plane mirror:

𝑅 2.8861
µ1 = 1 + =1+ = 1.0831
𝑓2 34.7

ii)With oil between the convex lens and plane mirror:

𝑅 2.8861
µ2 = 1 + =1+ = 1.2886
𝑓3 10
RESULTS / FINDINGS
The refractive index of water is µ1 = 1.0831

The refractive index of oil is µ2 = 1.2886

SOURCES OF ERRORS
 Liquid may not be quite transparent.

 The parallax may not be fully removed.

 The spherometer legs should be placed symmetrical on the surface

of the convex lens.

 The tip of the central screw should not just touch the surface of the
lens or mirror.

INFERENCE
Within the limits of experimental error, it is found that that setup utilizes
the lens formula and the concept of refraction to determine the refractive
indices of the given liquids .
BIBLIOGRAPHY

 NCERT TEXTBOOK

 PHYSICS LAB MANUAL

 WIKIPEDIA