2019-2020

Subject:- PHYSICS

Submitted By:- Guided By:-

ARCHITA PANCHAL Mr. RAHUL DUBEY
Department of Physics
ACKNOWLEDGMENT
It is my proud privilege to offer my sincere
thanks to the Central Board of Secondary Education
who has given me this opportunity to make a
project on this subject successfully. I would like to
offer my sincere thanks and gratitude to SIR RAJIV
SHRIVASTAV, the principal of my school to complete
this in time. I am extremely indebted to our physics
teacher Mr. RAHUL DUBEY for his able guidance,
timely help and constructive encouragements
towards the completion of this project. And at last, I
would like to offer my sincere thanks to our lab
assistance for guiding me on a step by step basis
and ensuring that I completed all my experiments
with ease.
PHYSICS INVESTIGATORY
PROJECT

TOPIC: To investigate the dependence, of

the angle of deviation on the angle of incidence,
using a hollow prism filled, one by one, with
different transparent fluids.

Submitted by:-
ARCHITA PANCHAL
CLASS: XII ROLL NO.: 01
 INTRODUCTION
In optics, a prism is a transparent optical element
with flat, polished surfaces that refracts light. The exact
angles between the surfaces depend on the application.
The traditional geometrical shape is that of a triangular
prism with a triangular base and rectangular sides, and in
colloquial use “prism” usually refers to this type. Some
types of optical prism are not in fact in the shape of
geometric prisms. Prisms can be made from any material
that is transparent to the wavelengths for which they are
designed. Typical materials include glass, plastic and
fluorite. Prism can be used to break light up into its
constituent spectral colours (the colours of the rainbow).
Prisms can also be used to reflect light, or to split light
into components with different polarizations. Before
Isaac Newton, it was believed that white light was
colourless, and that the prism itself produced the colour.
Newton’s experiments demonstrated that all the colours
already existed in the light in a heterogeneous fashion,
and that “corpuscles” (particles) of light were fanned out
because particles with different colours travelled with
different speeds through the prism. It was only later that
Young and Fresnel combined Newton’s particle theory
with Huygens’ wave theory to show that colour is the
visible manifestation of light’s wavelength. Newton
arrived at his conclusion by passing the red colour from
one prism through second prism and found the colour
unchanged. From this, he concluded that the colours
must already be present in the incoming light and white
light consists of a collection of colours. As the white light
passes through the triangular prism, the light separates
into the collection of colours: red, orange, yellow, green,
blue, indigo and violet. This collection of colours formed
by the prism is called the spectrum. The separation of
white light into its spectrum is known as dispersion.
Dispersion occurs because each colour travels through
the prism at different speeds. Violet travels the slowest
through the prism; hence we can see it refracting
the most. On the other hand, red passes through at
a much fast rate which makes its angle of refraction
less, hence red is too scarce to be seen.
 Experimental setup
AIM: To investigate the dependence, of the
angle of deviation on the angle of incidence, using a
hallow prism filled, one by one, with different
transparent fluids.

APPARATUS: Drawing board, white sheets of

paper, hollow prism, different liquids (water,
kerosene oil, etc), drawing pins, pencil, half meter
scale, thump pins, graph papers and a protractor.

THEORY: Refraction of Light through a Prism

Diagram shows section ABC of a prism taken by a
vertical plane, perpendicular to the edge. BC is the
base of the prism and AB and AC are its two
refracting surfaces.
IN ABOVE DIAGRAM,
RQ is the incident ray.

QS is the refracted ray.

ST is the emergent ray.

RQN1 = i = angle of incidence

SQN3 = r1 = angle of refraction inside prism

QSN3 = r2 = angle of incidence inside prism

TSN2 = e = angle of emergence

BAC = A = angle of prism

SFK = D = angle of deviation

In triangle QFS, KFS = FQS + FSQ
D = (i – r1) + (e – r2)
D = i + e – (r1 + r2) … (1)
In triangle QS1N3,
r1 + r2 + QN3S = 180⁰ … (2)
The quadrilateral AQN3S is cyclic quadrilateral, then
A + QN3S = 180 … (3)
From (2) and (3) ,
A = r1 + r2 … (4)
Eq. (1) become
D=i+E-A
D+A=i+e … (5)
Angle of Minimum Deviation-

>Definition: The minimum value of angle of deviation is called angle

of minimum deviation. It is represented by the symbol Dm.

>Explanation: For same angle of deviation (D) there are two values of
angle of incidence. One value equals ‘i’ and other value equals ‘e’. As
angle ‘i’ is increased from a small value, ‘e’ decreases from large value
and angle of deviation decreases. When angle of deviation is
minimum (Dm), then, ‘i’ and ‘e’ becomes equal.
The refracted ray QS goes parallel to base BC.
Since i = e, we have r1 = r2. ( ∵n= sini/ sinr1 = sine/ sinr2
) Hence, at minimum deviation, when r1
= r2 = r (say).
We have A = r1 + r2 = r + r = 2r
⇒r= A2
Also, at minimum deviation, D = Dm and i = e
From relation, A + D = i + e
We have, A + Dm = i + i = 2i
⇒ i = A+ Dm/ 2
From Snell’s law,
n = sin i / sin r
We have,
n =sin A + Dm/ 2/ sin A /2
This relation is useful for determination of n for Prism
material
PROCEDURE:
1.A white sheet of paper was fixed on the drawing board with
the help of drawing pins.
2.A straight line XX’ parallel to the length of the paper was
drawn nearly in the middle of the paper.
3.Points Q1,Q2,Q3 and Q4 were marked on the straight line
XX’ at suitable distances of about 6cm.
4.Normal’s N1Q1,N2Q2,N3Q3 and N4Q4 were drawn on
points Q1,Q2,Q3 and Q4.
5.Straight lines R1Q1,R2Q2,R3Q3 and R4Q4 were drawn
making angles of 40⁰,45⁰,50⁰ and 55⁰ respectively with the
normals.
6.One corner of the prism was marked as A and it was taken
as the edge of the prism for all the observations.
7.Prism with its refracting face AB was put in the line XX’ and
point Q1 was put in the middle of AB.
8.The boundary of the prism was marked.
9.Two pins P1 and P2 were fixed vertically on the line R1Q1
and the distance between the pins were about 2cm.
10. The images of points P1 and P2 were looked through face
AC.
11. Left eye was closed and right eye was opened and was
brought in line with the two images.
12. Two pins P3 and P4 were fixed vertically at about 2cm
apart such that the open right eye sees pins P4 and P3 as
images of P2 and P1 in one straight line.
13. Pins P1,P2,P3 and P4 were removed and their pricks on
the paper were encircled.
14. Steps 7 to 13 were again repeated with points Q2,Q3 and
Q4 for i=45⁰,50⁰ and 55⁰.
15. Straight lines through points P4 and P3 were drawn to
obtain emergent rays S1T1, S2T2, S3T3 and S4T4.
16. T1S1,T2S2 ,T3S3 and T4S4 were produced inward in the
boundary of the prism to meet produced incident rays R1Q1,
R2Q2,R3Q3 and R4Q4 at points F1,F2,F3 and F4.
17. Angles K1F1S1,K2F2S2,K3F3S3 and K4F4S4 were
measured. These angles give angle of deviation D1, D2,D3 and
D4.
18. Values of these angles were written on the paper.
19. Angle BAC was measured in the boundary of the prism.
This gives angle A.
20. Observations were recorded.
OBSERVATIONS:
Angle of hollow prism A = 60⁰

S. NO. Angle of Angle of Angle of Angle of

incidence. deviation deviation deviation
for for for
WATER. KEROSENE TURPENTINE
OIL. OIL.

1. 40⁰ 23⁰ 36⁰ 32⁰

2. 45⁰ 24⁰ 33⁰ 33⁰
3. 50⁰ 25⁰ 34⁰ 34⁰
4. 55⁰ 26⁰ 35⁰ 35⁰

RESULTS:
 The angle of minimum deviation for –
Water Dm = 23⁰C
Kerosene oil Dm = 33⁰C
Turpentine oil Dm = 32⁰C
 The refractive indices of the-
Water n = 1.32
Kerosene oil n = 1.46
Turpentine oil n = 1.44
  Speed of light in-
Water v = 2.3x108 m/s
Kerosene oil v = 2.05x108 m/s
Turpentine oil v = 2.08x108 m/s

PRECAUTIONS:
 The angle of incidence should lie between 35⁰ – 60⁰.
 The pins should be fixed vertical.
 The distance between the two pins should not be less
than 10mm.
 Arrow heads should be marked to represent the
incident and emergent rays.
 The same angle of prism should be used for all the
observations.

SOURCES OF ERRORS:
 Pin pricks may be thick
 Measurement of angles may be wrong.

THANK YOU