A student performs an experiment to investigate the refraction and reflection of light using a rectangular transparent block on a ray-trace sheet. They record the following measurements from their completed ray-tracing diagram:
Calculate the refractive index nnn of the block using the equation:
n=ab n = \frac{a}{b} n=baAnother student suggests that angle α\alphaα and angle θ\thetaθ should be equal. State whether the student's results support this suggestion and justify your answer.
Suggest two practical reasons why different students, all carrying out this experiment carefully, may not obtain identical results for their measurements.
216 exam-style questions on CIE IGCSE Physics 3.2 Light, covering 3.2.1a Reflection of light, 3.2.1b Images in a plane mirror, 3.2.2 Refraction of light, 3.2.2a Refraction of light, 3.2.2b Total internal reflection, 3.2.2c Refractive index and critical angle, 3.2.2d Optical fibres, 3.2.3a Converging and diverging lenses, 3.2.3b Ray diagrams and the nature of images, 3.2.3c Virtual images and the magnifying glass, 3.2.3d Correcting long-sightedness and short-sightedness, and 3.2.4 Dispersion of light. Each one has a worked solution and a mark scheme showing where the marks go.