Demonstrations

Prisms

Code Number :	6A42.51
Disclaimer:	Reprinted by permission of Dick Berg, University of Maryland, for use on this website. The demonstrations contained and referenced herein are listed for the purposes of cataloging and describing physics demonstrations which should be conducted only under the direction of a trained instructional support professional or physicist. These demonstrations are not presented for the purpose of being conducted by persons unconnected to this Facility and/or persons not consulting with or being supervised by the recognized instructional support professional or physicist and his/her staff. The University is responsible only for those demonstrations carried out using its own equipment using established safety and scheduling policies, and bears no responsibility for those choosing to use this source material for their own purposes. All demonstrations described and contained herein are public domain, and can also be found in reference materials in libraries, bookstores, and electronic sources. Further information regarding legal liability in use of demonstrations and labs will be found on the web site Injuries in School/College Laboratories in USA. The University of Iowa Disclaimers: University of Iowa Disclaimer All Rights Reserved..
Condition :	Excellent
Principle :	Refraction and Dispersion
Area of Study :	Optics, Astronomy
Equipment :	Prisms (Assorted), Laser (2 to 5 mw.), Optics Table, White Light Projector.
Procedure :	The most common use for the prisms is to use them in conjunction with a white light projector to produce a rainbow spectrum. With the larger plastic prisms and a laser the angles of refraction and total internal reflection can be demonstrated.

References

E. Scott Barr, "Letters: A Versatile Prism," TPT, Vol. 26, # 1, p. 9, (January 1988).

T. A. McMath and Mario Glavacic, "A Fast and Accurate Technique with the Prism Spectrometer", TPT, Vol. 26, # 7, Oct. 1988, p. 461.

E. Scott Barr, " A Versatile Prism", TPT, Vol. 26, # 1, Jan. 1988, p. 8.

N. Gauthier, "Wavelength Dependence of the Refractive Index", TPT, Vol. 25, # 8, Nov. 1987, p. 502.

Thomas B. Greenslade, Jr., "Porro's Prism", TPT, Vol. 25, # 4, Apr. 1987, p. 228.

Michael D. Edmiston, "Measuring Refraction Indices", TPT, Vol. 24, # 3, Mar. 1986, p. 160.

Earl Zwicker, Gerard Lietz, "The Sail-Cart: A Free Giveaway", TPT, Vol. 20, # 9, Dec. 1982, p. 622 - 623.

Frank S. Crawford, "Why is White Light Dispersed by a Prism?", TPT, Vol. 17, # 9, Dec. 1979, p. 583.

Dileep V. Sathe, "A New Method for the Refractive Index of a Prism", TPT, Vol. 16, # 8, Nov. 1978, p. 560.

G. B. Friedmann, "Limits of Deviation by a Prism", AJP, Vol. 55, # 12, Dec. 1987, p. 1139.

S. Waldenstrom and K. Razi Naqvi, "A Simple Accurate Alternative to the Minimum-Deviation Method for the Determination of the Refractive Index of a Prism", AJP, Vol. 46, (10), Oct. 1978, p. 1009.

Of-1, 2, 3, 4, Om-7: Freier and Anderson, A Demonstration Handbook for Physics.

Gordon McComb, "Other Optical Components," Lasers, Ray Guns, & Light Cannons, p. 38- 39.

John H. Moore, Christopher C. Davis, Michael A. Coplan, "Prisms," Building Scientific Apparatus 2^nd Edition, p. 149-154.

C. Harvey Palmer, "Experiment A4: Demonstration of the Redirective Properties of Prisms and Plane Mirror Devices," Optics - Experiments and Demonstrations, John Hopkins Press, 1962.

Created by Robert Johnson, Jeremy Eble, Chad Johnson, and Adam Johanns.