Practical Experiment
Light Waves: Reflection and Refraction.
Background information.
As we know, light travels from one place to another as waves. We can use equipment such as a light box kit to investigate how light waves interact when reflecting and refracting. Light box kits contain concave (curved inwards) objects, convex (curved outwards) objects, prisms and planes that can be used to demonstrate how light is reflected or refracted.
Name: Xavier Mirasol
Partners: Gabriel Samson
Aim:
The aim of this prac is to see the differences between reflection and refraction through the use of concave and convex mirrors and glass
Hypothesis:
It is predicted that the light waves will reflect and refract depending on all the of surfaces that is about to be used.
Materials:
- Light box kit
- Convex and concave lenses
- Prisms and planes
- Battery pack
- White A4 paper
Method:
Set up of light box kit.
Connect your light box to your battery pack as shown by your teacher
Place the black plastic light distributor down with the single open shaft facing downwards.
Place a sheet of white paper down in front of the light box.
Choose a coloured square of your choice.
Close the sides of the box making sure no light escapes.
Experiment 1.
Place a concave mirror in front of the light box and fill in the table below.
Flip over the concave mirror so it faces backwards and fill in the table below.
Place down the plane mirror so that it faces the light box and fill in the table below.
Experiment 2.
Place the concave lens in front of the light box (on the horizontal) and fill in the table below.
Place the convex lens in front of the light box (on the horizontal) and fill in the table below.
Place down the rectangular plane in front of the light box (on the diagonal) and fill in the table below.
Place the prism in front of the light box and fill in the table below.
Experiment 3.
Start with a convex lens and hold it close to your eye. Slowly move the lens away from your face until your arm is completed outstretched. Record what you see in the space below.
Repeat the action for concave lenses and describe the difference between the two lenses.
Discussion:
Question 1: Describe the difference between reflection and refraction based on what you saw in your results; The differences between refraction and reflection is that a refraction is when rays of light go straight through an object, whilst a reflection is when the light rays bounce right off the surface.
Question 2: Describe the effect concave and convex lenses have on the light that passes through them;
Whenever the light passes through the concave lenses the light get refracted and bends whilst the convex lenses, when the light passes through it just goes straight through it doesn’t bend at all
Question 3. Does the distance from the object alter the way the light bends? Explain your response.
No, because the light is always going to pass through the lens the same way, but when it goes through the surface of the convex lens all it does it gets more blurred
Question 4. The following image demonstrates what feature of light waves and why?
The image of the following demonstrates the light ray path of reflection. This is because the path of the light is bouncing off the surface.
Conclusion: (summarize the experiment, refer to and describe results, state if the hypothesis was support or not and why and acknowledge any errors made and how they could have impacted results).
In concision the light is known to bend when it goes through a concave surface and when the light goes through the convex lens it just gets more blurry the further the lens it from the light rays.
Light Waves: Reflection and Refraction.
Background information.
As we know, light travels from one place to another as waves. We can use equipment such as a light box kit to investigate how light waves interact when reflecting and refracting. Light box kits contain concave (curved inwards) objects, convex (curved outwards) objects, prisms and planes that can be used to demonstrate how light is reflected or refracted.
Name: Xavier Mirasol
Partners: Gabriel Samson
Aim:
The aim of this prac is to see the differences between reflection and refraction through the use of concave and convex mirrors and glass
Hypothesis:
It is predicted that the light waves will reflect and refract depending on all the of surfaces that is about to be used.
Materials:
- Light box kit
- Convex and concave lenses
- Prisms and planes
- Battery pack
- White A4 paper
Method:
Set up of light box kit.
Connect your light box to your battery pack as shown by your teacher
Place the black plastic light distributor down with the single open shaft facing downwards.
Place a sheet of white paper down in front of the light box.
Choose a coloured square of your choice.
Close the sides of the box making sure no light escapes.
Experiment 1.
Place a concave mirror in front of the light box and fill in the table below.
Flip over the concave mirror so it faces backwards and fill in the table below.
Place down the plane mirror so that it faces the light box and fill in the table below.
Experiment 2.
Place the concave lens in front of the light box (on the horizontal) and fill in the table below.
Place the convex lens in front of the light box (on the horizontal) and fill in the table below.
Place down the rectangular plane in front of the light box (on the diagonal) and fill in the table below.
Place the prism in front of the light box and fill in the table below.
Experiment 3.
Start with a convex lens and hold it close to your eye. Slowly move the lens away from your face until your arm is completed outstretched. Record what you see in the space below.
Repeat the action for concave lenses and describe the difference between the two lenses.
Discussion:
Question 1: Describe the difference between reflection and refraction based on what you saw in your results; The differences between refraction and reflection is that a refraction is when rays of light go straight through an object, whilst a reflection is when the light rays bounce right off the surface.
Question 2: Describe the effect concave and convex lenses have on the light that passes through them;
Whenever the light passes through the concave lenses the light get refracted and bends whilst the convex lenses, when the light passes through it just goes straight through it doesn’t bend at all
Question 3. Does the distance from the object alter the way the light bends? Explain your response.
No, because the light is always going to pass through the lens the same way, but when it goes through the surface of the convex lens all it does it gets more blurred
Question 4. The following image demonstrates what feature of light waves and why?
The image of the following demonstrates the light ray path of reflection. This is because the path of the light is bouncing off the surface.
Conclusion: (summarize the experiment, refer to and describe results, state if the hypothesis was support or not and why and acknowledge any errors made and how they could have impacted results).
In concision the light is known to bend when it goes through a concave surface and when the light goes through the convex lens it just gets more blurry the further the lens it from the light rays.