Optics/ Wave Optics

Optical illusions

Principle

It is also the responsibility of physics classes to direct the students' attention to the inadequacy of our senses for understanding physical reality at suitable times. The students learn, e.g., that our temperature sense is not reliable. That we can ...

Rectilinear propagation of light

Principle

In the first part of the experiment the students should investigate one of the most important properties of light: its rectilinear propagation in a homogeneous medium. This is in conformity with physical laws and so it is also used in ...

Transparent and opaque objects

Principle

Task

Does light pass through all materials?

1. To investigate the transparency of different solid materials to light.
   
2. To investigate what the transparency of tran ...

Shadows (umbra and penumbra)

Principle

In the first part of the experiment the students should observe the formation of shadow behind an illuminated object and make conclusions as to the conditions necessary for shadow formation and the properties of propagation of light. The students will ...

Solar and lunar eclipses (with the light box)

Principle

In the experiment on "shadow formation" the students investigated the origin of umbra and penumbra. In doing so they determined that areas of shadow only occur behind illuminated opaque objects and that the rectilinear propagation of light is one of ...

Reflection of light

Principle

Reflection of light and, in particular, the laws of reflection are among the most fundamental principles in optics.
For this reason, the students will be made themselves thoroughly familiar with the reflection phenomenon and will be l ...

Reflection by a plane mirror

Principle

The aim of this experiment is to experimentally determine the laws of reflection.
 
In doing so, we deliberately refrain from introducing the terms "angle of incidence", "normal to the reflecting surface" and "angle of reflection" t ...

Images in a plane mirror

Principle

With this experiment the students should be led to insights which they are likely to be already familiar with qualitatively, but which they are probably not consciously aware of (daily observation in a mirror).
 
In the first part o ...

Reflection by a concave mirror

Principle

This is a particularly important experiment in our series of experiments dealing with the reflection of light because it reinforces the students' knowledge of the laws of reflection by a plane mirror and applies it to other situations. The first part ...

Image construction for a concave mirror

Principle

In this experiment the students will become acquainted with a procedure for the construction of an image of a given object by a concave mirror. Selected light beams and their characteristic paths are used. The experiment is demanding on the stude ...

Reflection by a convex mirror

Principle

The experiments on reflection in convex mirrors serve to reinforce the knowledge gained in the experiments on plane and concave mirrors, and further to improve experimental proficiency.
On the one hand, the goal of this experiment is the o ...

Image construction for a convex mirror

Principle

The aim of this experiment is the experimental determination of the intersection of selected light beams which hit a convex mirror and the image construction which follows from that. In a preliminary experiment the characteristics of the mirror i ...

Refraction at the air-glass boundary

Principle

In this experiment, the students investigate the refraction of light on passing from air to glass and measure the angle of refraction ? for a given angle of incidence ?. At the end, they should come to a conclusion about this relationship and sh ...

Determining the refractive index of glass

Principle

In this experiment, the students have the possibility of perfecting their experimental skills and strengthening their understanding of the law of refraction. In conjunction with the observation of incident light at the boundary between air and glass, ...

Refraction at the air-water boundary

Principle

In this experiment, the students should investigate the refraction of light when it passes from air into water and measure the angle of refraction ? for given angles of incidence ?. In addition to developing the students' experimental skills in ...