Edexcel IGCSE Physics 3.19 Glass Refractive Index Practical Questions

Trace incident and refracted rays at several angles, repeat readings for reliability, and plot sin i against sin r. The graph gradient gives the refractive index.

Exam points

describe tracing incident and refracted rays for several angles using a glass block and protractor
reject an anomalous angle before calculating a mean from repeat readings
plot sin i against sin r and use the best-fit gradient to find refractive index

[Maximum number: 3]

A student does an investigation to determine the refractive index of a block made from flint glass.

She directs a ray of red light at the block, as shown in diagram 1.

Diagram 1

Describe how the student could improve her investigation to obtain a more reliable value of the refractive index.

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Edexcel IGCSE Physics 3.19 Glass Refractive Index Practical Questions question 1