Bsc.

PHYSICS HONS
OPTICS LAB
MANUAL
FRESNEL'S BIPRISM
SUBMITTED BY:
SHEHZALA:1206
DEEPIKA:1356

AIM:
TO DETERMINE THE WAVELENGTH OF SODIUM LIGHT USING A
FRESNEL'S BIPRISM.

THEORY:
When a monochromatic source of light illuminates a narrow
vertical slit S held symmetrically at short distance from a biprism ABC
with its refracting edge vertical and parallel to the slit, each half of the
biprism produces a virtual image of S by refraction. The distance
between S and the biprism is so adjusted that the two virtual images
and are quite close together. A horizontal cross section of the
arrangement is shown in figure1.

Figure 1.

The two sources S1 and S2 give out light waves parallel to each
other in the same phase having the same amplitude. A closely-spaced
interference fringes are produced in the region EF while the wide set of
fringes at the edges of the pattern is on account of diffraction. The
fringes are actually formed anywhere in the space between the biprism
and the eyepiece and are called the non-localised fringes. The fringes
are observed with a microscope, with the fringes lying in the focal plane
of its eye-piece.
As the point O is equidistant from S1 and S2, the displacement will
be in the same phase and so the intensity here is maximum. Let P be a
point distant x from O. Let d be the separation between S1 and S2 and D
be the distance between the slit S and the screen.
Then, from figure 2,
S2P2=D2+(x+d/2)2
S1P2=D2+(x-d/2)2

Figure2

and

Therefore, S2P2-S1P2= (x+d/2)2 (x-d/2)2

= 2xd
Path difference S2P-S1P = 2xd
S2P +S1P
=2xd/2D
= xd/D

[ since S2P +S1P = 2D approximately]

The intensity at P is maximum if the path difference is an even

multiple of half a wavelength and minimum if it is an odd multiple of
half a wavelength. Therefore for maximum intensity,
xd/D =n
Or,

x= D /d

Fringe width

= xn-xn-1

= Dn - D(n-1)/d

Therefore,
Or,

=D /d

= d/D

Thus the wavelength of the monochromatic source can be

determined by measuring D,d and .

To determine d, a convex lens is chosen such that its focal length is

less than one-fourth of the distance between the slit and the focal plane
of the eye-piece. The lens is mounted on a stand which is kept between
the stands holding the Fresnels biprism and the eyepiece. The lens is so
adjusted that for two of its positions the real images of the two virtual
sources are focussed on the focal plane of the eye-piece.

If d1 and d2 are the separation between the real images of for the two
positions of the lens, the magnifications for the two positions of the lens
are
m1= d1/d = v/u
And m2= d2 /d= u/v
Where u and v are the distances of the object and the image
respectively from the lens in the first position .
Therefore, (d1/d )x (d2 /d) = ( v/u) x (u/v)
Or,

d=(d1d2)1/2

APPARATUS:
1.OPTICAL BENCH

2. SODIUM LAMP

3.RAMSDEN EYE PIECE

4.UPRIGHT STAND

5.BIPRISM

6.ADJUSTABLE SLIT

7. CONVEX LENS

8. SCREEN

PROCEDURE:
In this experiment , adjustment of the instrument are extremely
important to carry out the experiment successfully.
The following adjustments should be done:
1. With the help of a spirit level and the leveling screws provided at
the base of the instrument, level the bed of the optical bench.

THE SLIT IS PLACED CLOSE TO THE

SOURCE, TO MANTAIN MAXIMUM
INTENSITY

Figure 3

2. Mount the upright carrying the slit near the zero of the scale on the
optical bench. Bring the slit in the middle of the bench by moving
the slit-stand perpendicular to the bench by moving the slit stand
perpendicular to the bench. Make the slit very narrow by the screw
for adjusting the slit width and illuminate it by sodium light.
3. Make sure that the sodium lamp, which comprises two rods, is
vertical, as shown in diagram. Also, we focus one of the sodium
lamp rods on the slit.

(a) the sodium source rods are not vertical.

They need to be adjusted as in (b) to be

vertical, ie they must be aligned with the slit .

FIGURE 4

(b) the slit and the sodium rods a re

aligned in the same plane

4. The next step is to put a screen on the optical bench, and focus one

of the rods on the slit such that we get a pattern as shown in figure:
on the screen.

FIGURE 5
Upon focussing one rod on the slit, the screen should have a pattern as
shown in above figure, with the bright patch symmetric about the centre
of the screen. It should be vertical. If not , then the slit and the source are
not vertical and aligned with respect to each other.

5. Mount the biprism on its stand at about fifteen cm from the slit
such that the slit and the center of the biprism are at the same
height.

SLIT
FIGURE 6

BIPRISM

4. See that the slit and the edge of the biprism are vertical.
5. Place the eye on the side of the biprism away from the slit. Two
virtual images of the slit will be seen. Move the eye across the
bench, one of the images will appear to cross the edge of the

biprism from one side to the other. If the refracting edge of the
biprism is parallel to the slit ,then the image as a whole will appear
to cross the edge. If either the top or the bottom of the image cross
first, the adjustment is faulty.

FIGURE 7
TWO IMAGES OF THE SLIT,
AS SEEN FROM THE FRONT OF THE BIPRISM ,AWAY FROM THE SLIT

Adjust the biprism by rotating it in its own plane by the tangent

screw provided for the purpose to cause the transition of the image
as a whole. Now the slit , the cross wire and the refracting edge of
the biprism are exactly parallel.

6. Mount the micrometer eyepiece on the optical bench about 120130 cm from the slit.

FIGURE 8
Adjust the eye piece to get fringes in its focal plane. If no fringes are
visible, move the biprism upright at right angles to the bed of the
optical bench., till the fringes appear. FIGURE 9

Then make the fringes as distinct as possible by rotating the

biprism in its own plane by the tangent screw.
7. To remove the lateral shift, set the cross wire on any bright fringe.
If on moving the eyepiece away from the biprism, the fringe shifts
away from the cross wire, move the biprism perpendicular to the
optical bench till this shift is not there.

MEASUREMENTS:
1. Place the biprism upright near the slit upright and move the
eyepiece away to a distance of about 120-130 cm from the slit.
After doing all the necessary adjustments discussed above, set the
vertical cross wire of the eye piece in the middle of a dark band
towards the left and note the reading of the micrometer screw of
the eyepiece. FIGURE 10.

INCORRECT WAY OF FOCUSSING:

The crosswire isnt coinciding with the
center of the dark band.

CORRECT WAY OF FOCUSSING:the

crosswire should coincide with the center
of the dark band.

2. Next displace the the eyepiece horizontally towards right. Skip one
dark band and till the crosswire comes in contact with the middle
of the next dark band . Read the micrometer again. Then take the
crosswire to the fourth band, and read the micrometer again. (see
diagram). The difference of the two consecutive readings will give
us the width of two fringes and the fringe width
= width of two fringes
2

2. Repeat step 1 for the horizontal movement of the eyepiece from

right to left and find the mean fringe width .

3. Measure the distance D from the slit S to the cross wire of the
eyepiece. FIGURE 11

4. To measure S1S2 =d, place a convex lens of focal length f<D/4

(around 30 cm in our case), in the position L1 such that clear
images of S1 and S2 are formed in the focal plane of the eyepiece.
Set the vertical crosswire on one of the images and note the
micrometer reading. Move the micrometer till the cross wire is on
the second image. Again note the micrometer reading. The
difference between the two readings gives the distance d1between
the images.

READING THE VALUE OF 'D' ON THE

OPTICAL BENCH
FIGURE 12
The two images as seen after putting the

convex lens in position L1 where we get the

value of d

as the separation between the

two images.

5. Next, displace the lens to position L2 such that clear images of S1

and S2 are again formed in the focal plane of the eyepiece. Measure
their separation d2 . FIGURE 13

The two images as seen after putting the

convex lens in position L1 where we get the
value of d

as the separation between the

two images.

Then, we can evaluate:

d=(d1d2)1/2

OBSERVATIONS:

CALCULATIONS:

A graph is drawn between the number of bands on the x-axis and

the cumulative width of the bands on the y-axis. We obtain a straight

line graph. The slope of this graph gives us the fringe width .

We have , slope= 0.04683, D= 129.025 cm, d= 0.166132cm

= slope x D/d

ie,

= 0.04683 x 0.166132
129.025

= 5.8992x 10 -5 cm
LOG ERROR:

RESULTS:

The wavelength of sodium light by Fresnels biprism =5.8992x 10 -5 cm

With a maximum log error of 0.7816 x 10 -5 cm

PRECAUTIONS AND SOURCES OF ERROR:

1.The slit, biprism and eye-piece must be at the same vertical height
above the bench.
2.The slit should be made narrow. It should be made parallel to the
vertical cross-wires of the eye-piece.
3.The biprism should be rotated in its own plane so that its edge becomes
exactly parallel to the slit.
4.While taking measurements for the fringe width, the vertical crosswire should be set in the centre of the bottom fringe only.
5.For determining the distance d between the two virtual images of the
slit, the lens should be so chosen that its focal length f< one-fourth of the
distance between the slit and the cross-wire.
6.If the eye-piece happens to be too close to the biprism it may not be
possible to obtain both images with the lens. The eye-piece should be so
placed that it is possible.
7.Bench correction should be measured and corrected distance between
the slit and the cross-wire should be found.
8.While using the micrometer screw, back-lash error should be avoided.
This can be done by rotating the screw in the same direction.