Snell\'s Law and Total Internal Reflection: Need help with the following questio

Question

Snell's Law and Total Internal Reflection:

Need help with the following questions regarding Snell's Law and Total Internal Reflection. I have posted the lab instructions (which I have already completed below the questions I need help with):

(a)There are two boundaries where the laser beam changes medium. Describe the two boundaries and determine which one causes the light to refract?

(b) The two mediums in this experiment are water and air. Which medium is the medium for the incident ray? Which medium is the medium for the refracted ray?

This was the experiment:

1. Fill the refraction cell with water ¾ full of water. If there are any bubbles inside the cell, rub or flick them with your finger to get them off the bottom. 2. In the middle of the sheet of paper, create a 360º protractor by overlapping the 0 and 180º marker lines for both protractors. Use masking tape to secure your 360º protractor. 3. Center the refraction cell’s flat side along the 0º base line. The middle of the cell should be located at the origin of your 360º protractor. 4. Shine the laser pointer through the refraction cell at an incidence angle of 0º. You should point the laser through the curved side of the cell and directly at the middle of the flat side of the cell. 5. Record the refraction angle of the light coming out of the cell. Remember the incident and refracted angles are measured from the normal line which are the 90 degrees angles on the protractor. Hints: 1) In order to see a good refracted ray, you may need to move the laser up and down. 2) Make sure the water is still when taking measurements. 6. Repeat Step 4 - 5 for all of the angles listed in Table 3.

Explanation / Answer

(a) At frist boundary laser beam enters from the air to water.
So light will be refracted at an angle from its original direction.
After this refraction light will suffer one more refraction when light moves back into the air medium from
the water. Therefore it will suffer one more refraction and will come out at the same angle at which it was incident.
(b) Laser was in air medium therefore the incident ray would be in the air medium and light was refracted in the
water medium.
Hence refraction medium is water.

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