LOYOLA INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL
(Affiliated to CBSE, New Delhi, Aff. No. 6630206)
Oasis Campus, Al Wukair
Academic Session: 2025 -2026
Physics Practical
NAME: ____________________________________________________________
CLASS: X/Div. _____ DATE: 16.06.2025
Experiment 4: Refraction of light through a prism
DIAGRAM Aim
To trace the path of the rays of light through a glass prism.
Materials Required
A white sheet, soft board, thumb pins, 4-6 all pins, prism, pencil,
scale, protractor, drawing board.
Theory
When a ray of light is incident on the surface of the prism, it
refracts through a prism and emerges out as per the laws of
refraction, the angle between incident ray and emergent ray is
called angle of deviation.
Procedure
Fix a white sheet on a drawing board using drawing pins.
Place a glass prism on it in such a way that it rests on its
triangular base. Trace the outline of the prism using a pencil.
Draw a thin line NEN normal (perpendicular) to face AB of
the prism. Also draw a straight line PE making an angle
preferably between 30° and 60° as shown in figure.
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Fix two pins at a distance of 5 cm from each other on the
line PE as shown in the figure, later mark these points of
pins as P and Q.
Look at the images of the pins, fixed at P and Q, through the
other face of the prism, i.e., AC.
Fix two more pins, at points R and S vertically such that the
feet of pins at R and S appear to be on the same straight line
as the feet of the images of the pins P and Q when viewed
through the face AC of the prism.
Remove the pins and the glass prism.
Join and produce a line joining R and S, let this line meet the
prism at point F.
Extend the direction of incident ray PQE till it meets the
face AC. Also extend (backwards) the emergent ray SRF so
that these two lines meet at a point G.
Mark the angle of incidence ∠i, angle of refraction ∠r and
the angle of emergence ∠e and ∠D as shown in the figure.
Repeat the experiment for more angle of incidence
preferably between 30° and 60°.
Precautions
A sharp pencil should be used for drawing the boundary of
the prism.
Use soft board and pointed pins.
The pins should be fixed at a distance of 5 cm or more.
The pins should be fixed vertically and immediately
encircled after they are removed.
While viewing the col-linearity of pins and images, the eye
should be kept at a distance from the pins so that all of them
can be seen simultaneously. The col-linearity of all the four
pins can be confirmed by moving the head slightly to either
side while viewing them. They all appear to move together.
The angle of incidence should be between 30° and 60°.
Proper arrows should be drawn for the incident ray,
refracted ray and emergent ray.
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Result
1. The light ray, i.e., the incident ray first bends towards the
normal when it gets refracted in the prism and while leaving
the prism it bends away from the normal.
2. The angle of deviation first decreases with the increase in
angle of incidence ∠i. It attains a minimum value then
increases with further increase in angle of incidence.
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