Dispersion of Liquids - Hollow Prism


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 Code Number :   6A42.65

Disclaimer:

Reprinted by permission of Dick Berg, University of Maryland, for use on this website.

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Condition :   Excellent  
Principle :   Prisms, Dispersion, Refraction 
Area of Study :  Optics   
Equipment :   Hollow Prism,  Clear Liquids, Slide Projector with a Slit Plate.
Procedure :   Fill the prism with the desired liquid or the desired combination of liquids. Observe the different amounts of dispersion.  Use of carbon disulfide as the liquid is discouraged due to its hazardous environmental properties.

A laser may be used as a light source.  This is particularly useful for calibration and finding the minimum angle of deviation. 

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   References

Christopher J. Olney, "Refractive Index of a Liquid as a Function of Temperature", TPT, Vol. 36, # 1, Jan. 1998, p. 46. 

Michael Mc Clendon, "An Elementary Laser Refractometer", TPT, Vol. 19, # 6, Sept., 1981, p. 406.                                                         

 

O-270:  "Prisms-Glass & Ethyl Cinnamate,"  DICK and RAE Physics Demo Notebook

O-272: "Water and Corn Syrup Prisms", DICK and RAE Physics Demo Notebook.



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