Refraction Lab 10/1

A) The idea I am testing is that If Snell's Law is true, if I point the laser into the water at a 45 degree angle, the refractive ray should bend closer to the normal based on what Snell's law states.

B) The experiment I am going to conduct is that I am going to aim the laser into the water at a 45 degree angle from air into container of water.(shown below)

C) My prediction is that the refractive ray should bend into the water towards the normal based on what Snell's law states. (shown below)



























D) When actually conducting the experiment, the light does not bend in the water, but the light rays spread along the plastic perimeter. Snell's Law is not necessarily dis proven however, it becomes not true once it reaches a certain incident angle, which is 42 degrees.

Also (theta2)=sin-1(1.33sin45)
______
1.0

Does not work when plugged into a calculator; this is more proof that Snell's law does not work at this point.

E) This lab was conducted to teach us that although some things may seem true and accurate on paper, when an experiment is physically conducted, a law may not work the way that it is stated.