PHYSICS PROJECT ​on 

DETERMINATION OF REFRACTIVE INDEX OF 
DIFFERENT LIQUID USING HOLLOW PRISM  
 

Submitted by : ​ ​Eshaan Naurvi XII-B 2018-19   

 
 
 

CERTIFICATE 
 

It  is  hereby  to  certify  that,  the  original  and  genuine 
investigation  work  has  been  carried  out  to  investigate  about 
the  subject  matter  and  the  related  data  collection  and 
investigation  has  been  completed  solely  sincerely  and 
satisfactorily  done  by  ​ESHAAN  NAURVI  ​of  class 
XII-B​,regarding  the  project  titled,  “​REFRACTIVE  INDICES  OF 
VARIOUS MEDIUMS​” 

EXAMINER TEACHER 

(Mrs. Annu Sagar) 

 
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Acknowledgement 
 

The  successful  completion  of  any  task  would  be  incomplete  without 
mentioning  the  names  of  those  persons  who  helped  to  make  it  possible.  I 
take  this  opportunity  to  express  my  gratitudes  in  two  words  and  respect  to 
all  those  who  helped  me  in  the  completion  of  this  project.  Itbis  y  humble 
pleasure  to  acknowledge  my  deep  senses  of gratitude to my physics teacher, 
Annu  Sagar  Ma’am  for  her  valuable  support,  constant  help  and  guidance  at 
each  and every stage, without which this project would not have come forth. I 
would  also  like  to thank my friends and family for encouraging me during the 
course  of  this  project.  Last,  but  not  the  least,  I  would  like  to  thank  CBSE  for 
giving us the opportunity to undertake this project. 

 
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CONTENT 
 

1. Aim 
2. Apparatus Required 
3. Theory 
4. Procedure 
5. Observations 
6. Conclusions 
7. Precautions 
8. Bibliography  

 
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AIM 
 

To find out the refractive indices of different liquids using a 

hollow prism. 
 

 
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Apparatus Required 
 

1. Hollow glass prism 

2. Bell pins 
3. Drawing sheet 
4. Drawing board 
5. Pencil 
6. Scale 
7. Protractor 
8. Thumb pins 

 
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THEORY 
 

The prism is a transparent optical element with flat polished surfaces that refract light. 
Prisms can be made from any material that is transparent including glass, plastic and 
fluorite. A Prism can be used to break light up into its constituent spectral colors. Prisms 
can also be used to reflect light, or to split light into components with different 
polarisations. 

The refractive index of the liquid is given by the formula: 

µ = sin i/sin r = sin [(A + δm) / 2] / sin (A/2)  

Where, 

µ = refractive index of the liquid 

A = the angle of minimum deviation 

δm = angle of prism 

i = angle of incidence 

r = angle of refraction 

 
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PROCEDURE 
 

1. Fix a white sheet of paper on the drawing board with help of drawing pins. 
  
2. Keep the prism and mark the outline of it as ABC. 
  
3. Drop a normal PQ on the side AB. 
 
4. Draw the angle of incidence in accordance with the normal PQ and place 2 
pins so that they appear to be in the straight line. 
  
5. Place the prism filled with given sample of liquid ,on the marked outline 
ABC. 
  
6. Now take the pins and place them on the side AC so that all the 4 pins 
appear to be in same line. 
  
7. Remove the prism and draw the line joining the points so obtained. 
  
8. Mark the diagram as shown in the figure. 
  
9. Repeat this with different liquids and different angle of incidence. 
  
 

 
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OBSERVATIONS 
 

Water 
 

S.no  a º(angle of prism)  i º (angle of incidence)  d º (angle of deviation) 

1.  60  30  25 

2.  60  35  22 

3.  60  40  20 

4.  60  45  22 

5.  60  50  25 

6.  60  55  28 

 
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Salted water 
 

S.no  a º(angle of prism)  i º (angle of incidence)  d º (angle of deviation) 

1.  60  30  45 

2.  60  35  42 

3.  60  37.5  40 

4.  60  39  42 

5.  60  40  45 

 
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Dil. Sulphuric Acid 

 
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CONCLUSION 
 

1. W
​ ater 
● Experimental : 1.306 
● Actual : 1.33 

  

2. S
​ alted Water 
● Experimental : 1.316 
● Actual : 1.366 

3. W
​ ater 
● Experimental :   
● Actual :  

 
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PRECAUTIONS 
 

1. Angle of incidence should lie b/w 35-60 degree. 

  

2. Pins should be vertically fixed and should lie in same line. 

  

3. Distance b/w two points should not be less than 10mm. 

  

4. Same angle of prism should be used for all observation. 

  

5. Arrowhead should be marked to represent emergent and incident ray. 

 
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BIBLIOGRAPHY 
 

1. www.askiitians.com 

2. www.scribd.com 

3. www.google.com  

4. Physics Practical Book 

 
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