PASCO OS-8500 INTRODUCTORY OPTICS SYSTEM - Manual (Page 13)

012-02744K Introductory Optics System
®
7
EQUIPMENT NEEDED:
-Optics Bench, -Light Source,
-Ray Table and Base, -Component Holder,
-Slit Plate, -Ray Table Component Holder,
-Viewing Screen.
Experiment 1: Introduction to Ray Optics
Figure 1.1 Equipment Setup
Slit Plate
Viewing Screen
Purpose
➀ Observe straight line propagation of light.
➁ Use Ray Tracing to locate an object.
Procedure
Set up the equipment as shown in Figure 1.1, and turn on the Light Source. Darken the room
enough so the light rays on the Ray Table are easily visible.
Straight Line Propagation of Light
Observe the light rays on the Ray Table.
➀ Are the rays straight? _______________________________________________________.
➁ How does the width and distinctness of each ray vary with its distance from the Slit Plate?
_________________________________________________________________________.
Set the Viewing Screen and its holder aside for the next step.
➂ Lower your head until you can look along one of the "Rays" of light on the Ray Table. Where does
the light originate? What path did it take going from there to your eye? Try this for several rays.
_____________________________________________________________________.
Replace the Viewing Screen as shown in Figure 1.1. Rotate the Slit Plate slowly on the component
holder until the slits are horizontal. Observe the slit images on the Viewing Screen.
➃ How does the width and distinctness of the slit images depend on the angle of the Slit Plate?
_________________________________________________________________________.
➄ For what angle of the Slit Plate are the images most distinct? For what angle are the images least
distinct?_________________________________________________________________.