Question

1. Place a straight object such as a pencil or chopstick into a glass container and fill the container with water until the object is about halfway submerged.
2. Observe the straight object from all sides, recording your observations for the data section of your lab report. Be sure to note whether the object appears to be bent or not when you are observing it from each position.

Question 3. Why does the object appear to be bent when viewed from some angles and not others? Use Snell’s Law to support your answer. Include sketches where helpful.

3. Kneel down and observe the water’s surface from below. From a low enough vantage point, the surface of the water is mirror-like. Can you see total internal reflection of the light from the object?

Question 4. Why don’t you see total internal reflection on the top surface of the water? Use Snell’s law and a sample calculation to support your answer. Assume the index of refraction of air is 1 and that of water is 1.33.

Answer 1

When light ray enters from one medium to another medium at an angle to the surface,refraction takes place. The bending during refraction follows snells law.