Mentari Intercultural School Science Investigation – Grade 10

Middle Years Program Criterion C: Processing and Evaluating ___ / 8

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Name: Diva Aderly Grade/Section: 10C Date: 2 November 2017

SCIENCE INVESTIGATION
Summative Assessment

Angle of Refraction in Varieties of Densities

INQUIRING
I. Problem /Research Question (B.i)

How does the density of the medium or material affect the increase or decrease of the angle of refraction?

IV. Hypothesis (B.ii)

If the material or medium is denser, then the angle of refraction will decrease, showing a more prominent cut or
turns in the light, due to the speed of light decreasing or the light having shorter wavelengths when passing through
denser mediums.

PROCESSING (POST LAB)

VII. Collecting and Processing Data (C.i)

The data was collected using a data table that shows the different mediums, their densities, and the three trials,
along with the average (mean) derived from the three trials.

Data Table (Collected during the experiment itself)

Mediums Densities (g/cm3) Trial 1 (˚) Trial 2 (˚) Trial 3 (˚) Average

Water 1 g/cm3 16˚ 15˚ 15˚ 15.33˚

Cooking Oil 0.93 g/cm3 18˚ 18˚ 17˚ 17.67˚

Isopropyl Alcohol 0.786 g/cm3 30˚ 28˚ 28˚ 28.67˚

Dish Soap 1.03 g/cm3 0˚ 0˚ 0˚ 0˚

Ethanol 0.789 g/cm3 27˚ 25˚ 27˚ 26.33˚

In order to show the data in a more representable and clear form, the results have been interchanged to show
the mediums in a way where the least dense liquid medium comes first, continuing to the densest. The results of the
angle of refraction for each medium correspond to the densities of each medium. Seeing it placed in order will allow us
to easily see how the densities affect the increase and decrease of each angle of refraction. In addition to this, the data
will include the median, mode, and range for the data of each of the liquid mediums for more information and available
data to clearly analyze.
 In these pictures, the process of how we executed the experiment is shown. The first two pictures shows us
measuring the angles of the laser pointer of two of the different mediums in the experiment (water and dish soap). The
third photo shows us calculating for the mean (average) and the collecting and short analyzing of the data collected of
the trials throughout the experiment.

Result Table (In Order from Least Dense to Densest + Mean, Median, Mode, Range)

Mediums Densities Trial 1 (˚) Trial 2 (˚) Trial 3 (˚) Mean Median Mode Range
(g/cm3)
Isopropyl 0.786 30˚ 28˚ 28˚ 28.67 28 28 2
Alcohol g/cm3
Ethanol 0.789 27˚ 25˚ 27˚ 26.33 27 27 2
g/cm3

Cooking 0.93˚ 18˚ 18˚ 17˚ 17.67 18 18 1

Oil

Water 1 g/cm3 16˚ 15˚ 15˚ 15.33 15 15 1

Dish Soap 1.03 g/cm3 0˚ 0˚ 0˚ 0 0 0 0

The experiment and pre-lab we chose for our group experiment was my pre-lab. It revolved around angles of
refraction being tested and compared in different liquids with different densities to see if the light waves actually
prominently slow down in thicker and denser liquid mediums (such that of dish soap). We have learnt a lot about light
waves and how they travel at different speeds in physics class and my group mates and I actually chose this experiment
because it was the most convenient that could be quickly done in a classroom, as some of the experiments made by my
group mates either required more complicated materials or an inconvenient environment such as the pool.

Having only an hour to complete the experiment in class, we decided to just go with my pre-lab as the materials
are available in the lab and are easier to find. The only material that we brought by ourselves was the cooking oil as we
have requested the rest of the materials from the lab and they were available. Actually, before editing and chancing the
pre-lab, instead of ethanol, we were looking for lamp oil but it wasn't available in the lab so we compromised. It was still
as valuable as the density of ethanol didn't match any of the density of the other liquid mediums. It came close with
isopropyl alcohol but their densities still differ by 0.003 g/cm 3.
VIII. Interpreting Data and Results (C.ii)

All the five different liquid mediums are all different in densities. In order from least dense to most dense, the list
goes: Isopropyl alcohol, ethanol, cooking oil, water, then lastly the densest, dish soap. For each water medium, the
degrees of the angle of refraction only vary by 1˚ or 2˚ per trial or by none at all (dish soap), resulting to a generally
pretty consistent result. The results were actually just as what was expected and the general data collected of the angle
of refection varies and connects directly to the density of the liquid mediums.

The hypothesis of this experiment was:

“If the material or medium is denser, then the angle of refraction will decrease, showing a more prominent cut or turn in
the light, due to the speed of light decreasing or the light having shorter wavelengths when passing through denser
mediums.”

From the said hypothesis, it has been proven that the denser the medium the laser has to pass through the less
the angle of refraction, so the less dense the medium is, the larger the angle of refraction is. This is caused by the
decrease in the speed of light when passing through the denser mediums. The independent variable of the experiment
was the different liquid mediums and it’s varying densities while the dependent variable would be the measured angle of
refraction. The predicted answer of the experiment is that the denser the liquid mediums are the lesser the angle of
refraction, creating a bigger bend in the liquid itself.

The result of the experiment shows that the denser mediums have a decreased angle of refraction and a larger,
more prominent bend while the less dense mediums have a larger angle of refraction and with a less visible, less
prominent bend of the light. The results are: Isopropyl alcohol = 28.67˚, ethanol = 26.33˚, cooking oil = 17.67˚, water =
15.33˚, and lastly dish soap = 0˚ (the light of the laser pointer only touched the surface of the dish soap, not passing
through a single bit). So as we can see easily, the denser mediums like water have an angle of 15.33˚, showing a more
prominent bend compared to isopropyl alcohol that has an angle of refraction of 28.67˚

Referring back to the background information and our prior knowledge to this topic, we know that light travels in
a straight line but can be bended when passing through different mediums with different densities. The bend of the light
is due to the slowing down process of the light along with the shortening of its wavelengths, causing the light to bend
down more in a denser medium. This is also the cause of perspective form water and air. When we see an object in the
water, we might not see it in the place of where it’s exactly located, it may be slightly further looking than it actually is.
This concept and reality is a result of the angle of refraction and the slowing down of the speed of light when going
towards the water coming from the air above.

So with that being said, the variables connect and affect each other heavily as shown in the result of the
experiment. The dependent variable, the angle of refraction, is affected and is concluded from the independent variable,
the different liquid mediums and it’s densities. The second table above shows the results in an ascending order from the
least dense liquid medium, isopropyl alcohol, to the most dense, liquid dish soap. When we look at the mean (average)
angle of refraction, we see it decrease as we go down the table because the lower we g, the denser the liquid medium,
meaning the lesser the angle of refraction (a more prominent bend). With that, it is safe to say that the experiment and
its data collected has proven easily that the hypothesis “If the material or medium is denser, then the angle of refraction
will decrease, showing a more prominent cut or turn in the light, due to the speed of light decreasing or the light having
shorter wavelengths when passing through denser mediums.” Is correct.

EVALUATING

IX. Conclusion (C.iii and C.iv)

Overall, the whole experiment was quite successful and generally not extremely as hard as we initially expected.
Prior to actually conducting the experiment, we as a group read the pre-lab together and thought it would be quite easy.
But it turns out, by the time we received our materials from the lab to initiate the experiment, we tested the laser
pointed at the surface of the water and it turns out that it was barely visible to the eye. From that moment, we actually
doubted the experiment as a whole, regretting that we chose this specific one involving barely-even-visible laser
pointers. But we decided to just do our best and it turns out that by working together, we can achieve the end of the
experiment nicely.

In the beginning, one of our members tried to test the laser in the water but it was hard s he had to multitask, so
by doing it as a team, we managed to fly by the collecting of data in the experiment quite quickly and reliably. One of us
held the protractor against the surface of the liquid medium, another pointed the laser at the surface of the liquid
medium at an angle of 45˚, while another made sure that the marks were visible and the beaker wouldn't move while
the angle of refraction is being measured. We collected the data and analyzed each of them quite quickly together, along
with the comparing of the result of each liquid medium’s angle of refraction with their respective densities.

Looking at the data collected, the answers seem to easily and obviously support the given hypothesis at the
beginning of the experiment. The hypothesis was:

“If the material or medium is denser, then the angle of refraction will decrease, showing a more prominent cut or turns
in the light, due to the speed of light decreasing or the light having shorter wavelengths when passing through denser
mediums.”

Looking back at the data, in order from the least dense to the densest, the list goes as: Isopropyl alcohol,
ethanol, cooking oil, water, then lastly the most dense of the five, liquid dish soap. The result for each of the average
angle of refraction is: Isopropyl alcohol = 28.67˚, ethanol = 26.33˚, cooking oil = 17.67˚, water = 15.33˚, and lastly dish
soap = 0˚ (the light of the laser pointer only touched the surface of the dish soap, not passing through a single bit). As the
liquids get denser, the angle of refraction is shown to decrease, creating a more prominent bend from the laser starting
from the point where it touches the surface of the liquid to the point where it touches the base of the beaker after
passing through the liquid in a certain angle of refraction.

So as an example, if I were to compare isopropyl alcohol with water, the bend of the light is more prominent
when in water compared to isopropyl alcohol, water having an angle of refraction of 15.33˚ measured from the normal
vertical line while isopropyl alcohol having an angle of refraction of 28.67˚ measured from the normal vertical line. So the
smaller the angle of refraction, the greater bend you will be able to see from the light of the laser pointer. The results of
the experiment easily shows that the denser the liquid mediums the light of the laser pointer has to pas through, the
larger the bend meaning the less the angle of refraction due to the slowing down of the light and the shortening of it’s
wavelengths. With this being said, I can trustfully say that the hypothesis of this experiment has been proven to be
correct and reliable.
 If we refer back to the background information that was collected prior to executing the experiment, as the
diagram shows, there is a bend from where the air and water meet, giving an angle of incidence (in our experiment’s
case the angle of incidence was 45˚ for all the liquid mediums, it was a constant factor) along with an angle of refraction
(the angle we’ve collected that shows the bend of the light in the liquid mediums). We know that light always travels in
straight lines, but an angle may be found and detected when the light passes through different mediums with different
densities. The denser the medium is, the slower the light will travel, causing it to have shorter wavelengths that lead to a
larger bend in the angle of refraction (decreased angle of refraction).

When we’re talking about the methodology and process of our experiment, I personally think that the steps are
quite reliable and will likely result to a certain if not a positive result. The methodology has been planned and through of
thoroughly and though there may still be factors affecting the relevance and reliability of the data, generally speaking the
method has worked and has proven the hypothesis right. The method has had its fair shares of obstacles and difficulties
such as the measuring of the angle of refraction itself. Because the laser pointer doesn't really appear in the water, and
the protractor was quite hard to use to make sure the angle of incidence stays constant throughout the experiment, we
had to really focus and work together to really get the accurate results for the experiment. Also it has been proven to be
quite reliable as the range of each trial is very minimal and close to each other, meaning that the results we collected are
quite similar and consistent throughout the experiment.

X. Recommendations (C.v)

Throughout the experiment, my group and I have gone through a couple obstacles and complications. From
these obstacles thought we have found solutions that resulted to a pretty consistent data collected. The first
complication that we had to go through was the laser being not clearly and easily visible through the water mediums.
Prior to the actual experimentation, I thought that the light from the laser would generally appear easily like a wired line
through the liquid medium. But since the laser only appears on a certain surface it is pointed at, the light is only visible
slightly on the surface of the liquid and reflected by the angle of refraction on the base of the beaker. It was quite hard to
measure the exact angle the laser was supposed to point at the surface in but it took a couple pairs of hands instead of
one which means that this experiment is recommended to be worked on an tested on as a group instead of as an
individual. Not only does this takes of the burden of working on something alone but also it actually has factors that lead
to a more consistent and reliable data collected for the results. On measuring the angles and such, one person in my
group held the protractor by the surface of the line horizontally, one person adjusted the laser pointed to an angle of 45˚
above the liquid’s surface and another marked the points of where the light from the laser hit the surface of the liquid
medium along with the base of the beaker for accurate measurements while keeping the beaker in place. Then the one
who was holding the protractor will measure the angle of refraction that was marked down. The last person will take
pictures and write down the data so none of it will be mixed up or missed out from the table.

Another issue we went through was the visibility of the light from the laser pointer itself. Because the light from
a laser pointer only appears at a pointed surface, I would easily recommend that the experiment is done and executed in
a dimmer and darker room for more precise results. Due to the excess light exposure of the room where we completed
this experiment, the light of the laser was already hard to see so adding a bright environment increases the difficulty of
seeing the light even more. Doing this experiment in a darker environment won’t let the laser be visible in a form a lines
but it will increase the chances of the points of the light on the surface of the liquid medium and the base of the beaker
to be even more visible than it is in a bright environment. The last factor that might have changed the reliability of the
experiment is the room temperature. If the experiment is done in an environment where the temperature isn’t always
consistent throughout the whole experiment, the results of the angle of refraction will change because if the
temperature increases, the liquid mediums will be less dense and the angle of refraction will increase, same goes for if
the temperature decreases the liquid mediums will be denser and the angle of refraction will decrease as a result.
Possibly for an experiment similar to this one, these recommendations will increase the reliability of the results, easily
and surely either proving or disapproving the said hypothesis.
Note: Place your input/information below each part. The first part (Part I – VI, Problem to Procedure) will be the
information from the Group’s revised PreLab. The second part (Part VII – X, Processing and Evaluating) will be your
input and analysis. Refer to the Science Investigation Guide on the details of each part. Also refer to the Assessment
Criteria Descriptors to provide information that will maximize your score. The soft copy (submitted in Managebac)
AND printed Postlab must be submitted on November 22, 2017.
 Works Cited

Fuller, Pheobe. Refraction of Light through Mediums of Different Densities. Prezi. 22 August 2013.

Welnert, Wendy. Prism and Light Bending. Bellacor. 11 April 2014.