Examples of Investigation and Measurement

Snellius law
A collimated laser beam is refracted on a transparent half round disc which can be rotated with respect to the optical axis. This experimental set-up allows measuring the deflection of the beam as a function of the angle of incidence. The Snellius law is verified by the transition of light from air to a dense medium and vice versa.

Refraction on plates
When a beam passes through a transparent plate the outcoming beam does not show deflection but is parallel shifted in relation to the original beam. This offset of the beam can be measured as a function of the angle of incidence.

Total reflection / Optical fibres
Light entering a transparent plate from askance is multiple reflected throughout the whole plate. The light propagation in optical fibres is based on this principle of total reflection. The model of an optical fibre demonstrates how light is caught in a narrow fibre by total internal reflection.

Rainbow
A transparent cylinder is used for a two dimensional model of a raindrop. A laser beam is refracted and reflected in the same way as the sun rays are affected by the raindrops to generate a rainbow.