October 23, 2011 by alison12 · No Comments · Uncategorized
Angle of Incidence vs. Angle of Reflection
Background Information:
Reflection is the change of direction of light. The angle a light ray makes is the same after reflection occurs as it is before reflection occurs. Reflection is the image seen when looking into a mirror, still water, or a polished surface. The reflected image seen will be the same as the object which is being reflected.
Aim:
To investigate what the relationship is between the angle of incidence and the angle of reflection.
Hypothesis:
The angle of reflection will equal the angle of incidence.
Materials:
One mirror
One power supply
One light box kit
One protractor
One A4 sheet of paper
Safety:
The light box could become hot, so be careful not to touch it.
Do not stick anything inside the power supply.
Safety goggles, lab coats and other safety equipment are not required for this experiment.
Variables:
Independent Variable: Angle of incidence
Dependent Variable: Angle of reflection
Controlled Variable: Mirror
Method:
1. Draw on the A4 sheet of paper the normal.
2. Set up all equipment such that the light reflects off the mirror as shown in the diagram below:
Science Focus 4
1. Make the angle of incidence ten degrees. Measure the angle of reflection using a protractor.
2. Repeat step 3, but increase the angle of incidence by ten degrees.
Results:
Angle of Incidence
Angle of Reflection
Attempt #1
10o
10o
20o
20 o
30 o
30 o
40 o
40 o
50 o
50 o
60 o
60 o
70 o
70 o
80 o
80 o Attempt #2
10o
10o
20 o
20 o
30 o
30 o
40 o
40 o
50 o
50 o
60 o
60 o
70 o
70 o
80 o
80 o
Discussion:
There was only one credible trend in this experiment. This was that the measurements for the angle of reflection were the same as the angle of incidence. This occurred in both attempts. This happened because of the law of