PHYSICS PROJECT

REFRACTIVE INDEX OF DIFFERENT LIQUIDS

USING TRAVELLING MICROSCOPE.

By: Gouri Upadhyay

 Personal Details

Name: Gouri Upadhyay

Class: XII-D

School: Delhi Public School

Roll Number: 11

Session: 2019-2020
 Index
Sr.No. TOPICS
1 Acknowledgement
2 Aim
3 Theory
4 Apparatus used
5 Procedure
6 Observation
7 Inference
8 Precaution
9 Bibliography
10 Photos
 Acknowledgement
I would like to express my special thanks of gratitude to my
teachers Mrs Archana Kango and Mrs Skahira as well as our
principal Mr J Mohanty and our Vice Principal Mrs Shravani
Rao, who gave me the golden opportunity to this wonderful
investigatory project about finding refractive index of
different liquids using travelling microscope, which also
helped me in doing a lo t research and I came to know about
so many new things. I am really thankful to them. Secondly, I
would like to thank my parents and friends who helped me in
finalizing this project within the limited time frame.
 Experiment
Aim :
To find out refractive index of different liquids using
travelling microscope.

Theory -
Refraction
a)Introduction - When a ray of light travelling in a straight
line in transparent in homogenous medium with a certain
velocity enters another transparent medium in which it
has a different velocity, it bends at the boundary
(interface) of 2 media and then travels again along a
straight line in the other medium.

b) Refraction - it is a phenomenon of bending a ray of

light at the boundary (interface) of two optical media
when light ray is going from one optical medium to
another medium.
The cause of refraction is the difference of speed of light
from one medium to another
Laws of Refraction
There are two laws:-
a)Snell law - According to this law, the ratio of sine of angle
of incidence to sine of angle of refraction is constant for a
given pair of media.
 b) The refracted ray, the incident ray, normal all lie in
the same plane.

REFRACTIVE INDEX
a)Definition - The ratio of velocity of light in first medium to
its velocity in 2nd medium is called refractive index of 2nd
medium with respect to the 1st medium.
b) Expression - Let light have velocity v1 in first medium
(medium A) and v2 in second medium (medium B). Then
the refractive index of medium B with respect to medium
A

c) Unit - As refractive index is ratio of two similar quantities,

it has no unit and dimension.
ABSOLUTE REFRACTIVE INDEX
a)Definition - The ration of velocity of light in air (strictly
vacuum), to its velocity in the medium, is called absolute
refractive index of a medium.
b) Expression - Light has a velocity c in air (strictly
vacuum). If velocity of light in the medium be v, then
absolute refractive index of the medium

Real Depth and Apparent Depth

Traveling microscope
A travelling microscope is an instrument for measuring
length with a resolution typically in the order of 0.01mm.
The precision is such that better-quality instruments have
measuring scales made from Invar to avoid misreading
due to thermal effects. The instrument comprises
a microscope mounted on two rails fixed to, or part of a
very rigid bed. The position of the microscope can be
varied coarsely by sliding along the rails, or finely by
turning a screw. The eyepiece is fitted with fine cross-
hairs to fix a precise position, which is then read off
the vernier scale. Some instruments, such as that
produced in the 1960s by the Precision Tool and
Instrument Company of Thornton Heath, Surrey, England,
also measure vertically. The purpose of the microscope is
to aim at reference marks with much higher accuracy than
is possible using the naked eye. It is used in laboratories
to measure the refractive index of liquids using the
geometrical concepts of ray optics. It is also used to
measure very short distances precisely, for example the
diameter of a capillary tube. This mechanical instrument
has now largely been superseded by electronic- and
optically-based measuring devices that are both very
much more accurate and considerably cheaper to
produce
Apparatus
 Travelling microscope
 Magnifying glass
 Set of liquids (acetone, glycerine, water)

Procedure
1. Place the travelling microscope on the table near a
window on the table so that sufficient amount of light falls
on it
2. Adjust the levelling screws so that the base of the
microscope becomes horizontal.
3. Make microscope horizontal. Adjust the position of the
eye piece so that the cross wires are clearly visible.
4. Determine the Vernier constant of the vertical scale
5. Make a black cross on the base of the microscope which
serves as a point for focus. there should be no parallax
between the cross wires and the image of the cross
6. Note the main scale and Vernier scale readings on the
vertical scale
7. Place the liquids (acetone, water, glycerine) over the
cross mark.
8. Raise the microscope accordingly to focus on the image of
the cross mark
9. Note the reading again on the vertical scale.
10. Sprinkle a few particles of lycopodium
powder on the surface of the liquids and note the reading
on the vertical scale

Observations
Least count of vertical scale of travelling microscope=0.01 cm
Readings on vertical scale for liquid acetone
Serial no Cross mark Cross mark Lycopodium
without with acetone powder
acetone (𝒉𝟏 ) (𝒉𝟐 ) (𝒉𝟑 )
1 7.68 8.45 11.35
2 7.65 8.60 11.50
3 7.75 8.70 11.45

Readings on vertical scale for water

Serial no Cross Cross Lycopodium
mark mark with powder
without water(𝒉𝟐 ) (𝒉𝟑 )
water (𝒉𝟏 )
1 7.24 8.45 11.50
2 7.20 8.27 11.45
3 7.25 8.32 11.50