GIZMOS Student Exploration
Refraction
Name: Date: 2021-03-24
Student Exploration: Refraction
Directions: Follow the instructions to go through the simulation. Respond to the questions and
prompts in the orange boxes.
Vocabulary: angle of incidence, angle of refraction, frequency, index of refraction, medium, refraction, Snell’s
law, total internal reflection, wave front, wavelength, wave speed
Prior Knowledge Questions (Do these BEFORE using the Gizmo.)
Two runners ran side by side, each holding one end of a horizontal pole.
1. What would most likely happen if one of the runners began jogging in knee-deep water?
m
The runner would start to feel a force that is causing his feet to fatigue a lot faster than
er as
running on land since the water is making his feet put more force to run
co
eH w
2. How would this affect the direction of the runners? Explain.
o.
rs e
The direction of the runner will move closer to (the normal) which will obviously not be visible
ou urc
without a diagram. The degree to which the runner was running in on land will now become
smaller, making the runner run in a different direction.
o
Gizmo Warm-up
Light can travel through many materials, or media. As with a
aC s
vi y re
runner on pavement or sand, the speed of light can change
when it moves into a different medium. The Refraction Gizmo
allows you to observe what happens to a beam of light as it
travels from one medium to another.
ed d
Turn off View wave fronts. Set Index of refraction 2 to 3.0.
ar stu
1. Click Play ( ). Observe the ray of light as it passes from Medium
1 to Medium 2.
is
A. What happens to the speed of the light wave? The speed of the wave decreases in
Th
speed after it passes through the
second medium.
sh
B. What happens to the direction of the light wave? The direction of the wave gets closer
to the normal.
The bending of the light ray you see is called refraction.
2. Click Reset ( ) and turn on View wave fronts. A wave front is an imaginary line that connects the
crests or troughs of a wave. The wavelength of a wave is the distance between wave fronts.
Reproduction for educational use only. Public sharing or posting prohibited. © 2020 ExploreLearning™ All rights reserved
This study source was downloaded by 100000828331062 from CourseHero.com on 08-08-2021 13:26:40 GMT -05:00
https://www.coursehero.com/file/86325639/SNC2D-Refraction-Gizmo-Worksheetpdf/
, Click Play. What happens to the wavelength of the wave as it passes into Medium 2?
The wavelength gets smaller as the waves pass through the second medium.
Get the Gizmo ready:
Activity A: ● Click Reset. Turn off View wave fronts.
● Make sure View normal is selected.
Angle of ● Make sure Index of refraction 1 is 1.0 and Angle
refraction of incidence is 45°.
● Set Index of refraction 2 to 2.0.
Introduction: The normal is an imaginary line perpendicular to the boundary between two media. The angle
of incidence is the angle between the light ray in medium 1 and the normal. The angle of refraction is the
angle between the ray in medium 2 and the normal.
m
°
er as
Question: What affects how much light waves refract?
co
eH w
1. Measure: Click Play. To measure the angle of refraction, turn on Click to
measure angles. Drag the protractor’s vertex to the intersection of the ray and the
o.
rs e
normal. Align the protractor’s legs to the ray and the normal in Medium 2.
ou urc
What is the angle of refraction? 20°
o
2. Gather data: For each angle of incidence listed in the table below, use the Gizmo to find the angle of
aC s
refraction. Then, fill in the “Change of direction” column by subtracting the angle of refraction from the angle
vi y re
of incidence.
Angle of incidence Angle of refraction Change in direction
ed d
Closer to the axis of
20° 10°
symmetry
ar stu
Closer to the axis of
40° 20°
symmetry
is
Closer to the axis of
60° 25°
symmetry
Th
Closer to the axis of
80° 30°
symmetry
sh
3. Analyze: What patterns do you notice?
Every time the refracted ray is always closer to the axis of symmetry but the larger the angle
of incidence, the larger the angle of refraction.
4. Explain: Do you think refraction would occur if the angle of incidence is 0°? Explain.
Reproduction for educational use only. Public sharing or posting prohibited. © 2020 ExploreLearning™ All rights reserved
This study source was downloaded by 100000828331062 from CourseHero.com on 08-08-2021 13:26:40 GMT -05:00
https://www.coursehero.com/file/86325639/SNC2D-Refraction-Gizmo-Worksheetpdf/
Refraction
Name: Date: 2021-03-24
Student Exploration: Refraction
Directions: Follow the instructions to go through the simulation. Respond to the questions and
prompts in the orange boxes.
Vocabulary: angle of incidence, angle of refraction, frequency, index of refraction, medium, refraction, Snell’s
law, total internal reflection, wave front, wavelength, wave speed
Prior Knowledge Questions (Do these BEFORE using the Gizmo.)
Two runners ran side by side, each holding one end of a horizontal pole.
1. What would most likely happen if one of the runners began jogging in knee-deep water?
m
The runner would start to feel a force that is causing his feet to fatigue a lot faster than
er as
running on land since the water is making his feet put more force to run
co
eH w
2. How would this affect the direction of the runners? Explain.
o.
rs e
The direction of the runner will move closer to (the normal) which will obviously not be visible
ou urc
without a diagram. The degree to which the runner was running in on land will now become
smaller, making the runner run in a different direction.
o
Gizmo Warm-up
Light can travel through many materials, or media. As with a
aC s
vi y re
runner on pavement or sand, the speed of light can change
when it moves into a different medium. The Refraction Gizmo
allows you to observe what happens to a beam of light as it
travels from one medium to another.
ed d
Turn off View wave fronts. Set Index of refraction 2 to 3.0.
ar stu
1. Click Play ( ). Observe the ray of light as it passes from Medium
1 to Medium 2.
is
A. What happens to the speed of the light wave? The speed of the wave decreases in
Th
speed after it passes through the
second medium.
sh
B. What happens to the direction of the light wave? The direction of the wave gets closer
to the normal.
The bending of the light ray you see is called refraction.
2. Click Reset ( ) and turn on View wave fronts. A wave front is an imaginary line that connects the
crests or troughs of a wave. The wavelength of a wave is the distance between wave fronts.
Reproduction for educational use only. Public sharing or posting prohibited. © 2020 ExploreLearning™ All rights reserved
This study source was downloaded by 100000828331062 from CourseHero.com on 08-08-2021 13:26:40 GMT -05:00
https://www.coursehero.com/file/86325639/SNC2D-Refraction-Gizmo-Worksheetpdf/
, Click Play. What happens to the wavelength of the wave as it passes into Medium 2?
The wavelength gets smaller as the waves pass through the second medium.
Get the Gizmo ready:
Activity A: ● Click Reset. Turn off View wave fronts.
● Make sure View normal is selected.
Angle of ● Make sure Index of refraction 1 is 1.0 and Angle
refraction of incidence is 45°.
● Set Index of refraction 2 to 2.0.
Introduction: The normal is an imaginary line perpendicular to the boundary between two media. The angle
of incidence is the angle between the light ray in medium 1 and the normal. The angle of refraction is the
angle between the ray in medium 2 and the normal.
m
°
er as
Question: What affects how much light waves refract?
co
eH w
1. Measure: Click Play. To measure the angle of refraction, turn on Click to
measure angles. Drag the protractor’s vertex to the intersection of the ray and the
o.
rs e
normal. Align the protractor’s legs to the ray and the normal in Medium 2.
ou urc
What is the angle of refraction? 20°
o
2. Gather data: For each angle of incidence listed in the table below, use the Gizmo to find the angle of
aC s
refraction. Then, fill in the “Change of direction” column by subtracting the angle of refraction from the angle
vi y re
of incidence.
Angle of incidence Angle of refraction Change in direction
ed d
Closer to the axis of
20° 10°
symmetry
ar stu
Closer to the axis of
40° 20°
symmetry
is
Closer to the axis of
60° 25°
symmetry
Th
Closer to the axis of
80° 30°
symmetry
sh
3. Analyze: What patterns do you notice?
Every time the refracted ray is always closer to the axis of symmetry but the larger the angle
of incidence, the larger the angle of refraction.
4. Explain: Do you think refraction would occur if the angle of incidence is 0°? Explain.
Reproduction for educational use only. Public sharing or posting prohibited. © 2020 ExploreLearning™ All rights reserved
This study source was downloaded by 100000828331062 from CourseHero.com on 08-08-2021 13:26:40 GMT -05:00
https://www.coursehero.com/file/86325639/SNC2D-Refraction-Gizmo-Worksheetpdf/
