Experiment Description

Experiment

Experiment C06    Refractive Index by a Travelling Microscope

Objectives
  • Measure the refractive index from the slope of a plot of the real depth against the apparent depth
  • Measure the refractive index from the ratio of the real depth to the apparent depth
  • Learn the techniques in error treatment with different amount of data
Description
In this activity, you will measure the refractive index by measuring the real depth and apparent depth with a travelling microscope.

In Experiment 1, you will measure the refractive index of water. Firstly, the travelling microscope is focussed on an object in an empty beaker. Then, water is added to the beaker so that the object is at a certain depth. The image is brought into focus again by moving up the microscope. The required depths are calculated from the displacement of the microscope.

Experiment 2 is similar to Experiment 1 except that the refractive index of a glass block is measured.
Apparatus
travelling microscope [1]
glass block [2]
water in a beaker [1]
100 ml beaker [1]
lycopodium powder [small amount]
drawing pin [2]
stand-and-clamp [1]
Experiment