8 Wave Reflection

l a b o r at o r y

I n previous activities ,
you explored how waves have certain prop-
erties, such as frequency or speed. In this activity, you will explore
the wave property of reflection the bouncing of a wave off an object.
Reflection is a property that applies to all kinds of waves, including
both sound and light.

A mirror reflects light off its surface.

WAVES 47
ACTIVITY 8 WAVE REFLECTION

GUIDING QUESTION
What kind of surface makes
a good reflector?

MATERIALS
Part A
For each group of four students
2 cardboard tubes
Part B
For each group of four students
1 light station
1 single-slit mask
1 triple-slit mask
1 plane mirror
2 plane mirror holders
1 curved mirror
Acoustical tiles are used in large spaces to reduce
1 curved mirror holder
the reflection of sound off the ceiling.
1 angle card
1 index card

PROCEDURE

Part A: Reflecting Sound107108

1. In your group of four, find a hard, smooth surface, such as a wall
or white board.
2. Position the end of one of the cardboard tubes about 20 cm
from the smooth surface, and angle it at about 45 degrees to the
surface, as shown in the diagram below.

Speaker tube Listener tube

IAPS 3e Waves SB
Fig. SB 8_3
MyriadPro Reg 9.5/11

107 NGSPPI3
108 ELRS683

48 WAVES
 WAVE REFLECTION ACTIVITY 8

3. Have one member of your group speak softly into the end of the
tube that is farthest from the smooth surface.
4. Have another member of your group listen through the end of
the second tube, which is held 20 cm away and pointed towards
the smooth surface, as shown in the diagram in Step 2.
5. Keep the speaker tube in the same position while trying to find
the position of the listener tube that allows the speaker’s voice to
be heard the clearest.
6. When you have found the best position for the speaker tube,
have another member of your group draw a diagram to record
the positions of the two tubes and the smooth surface.
7. Move the listener tube to a different angle from the wall and
repeat Steps 3–6. In your science notebook, record any patterns
you observe about the positions of the two tubes.
8. Repeat Steps 3–7 using a soft surface instead of a hard surface.
Record your observations in your science notebook.

Part B: Reflecting Light109110

9. Set up the light station using the diagram below.

IAPS 3e Waves SB
Fig. SB 8_4
109 ELRS683
110 MyriadPro
NGPS4B1 Reg 9.5/11

MIRROR LINE

WAVES 49
ACTIVITY 8 WAVE REFLECTION

10. Stand a plane mirror so that it is upright on the mirror line of

the angle card.
11. Based on your experiences in Part A, predict where you think the
light will go when it is turned on if it travels to the mirror along
line 1L.
12. Test your prediction and record your results in your science
notebook.
13. Design an investigation to determine the relationship between
the incoming light ray and the reflected ray. 111112
14. Get your teacher’s approval and conduct your experiment.
Record your results in a table.
15. Discuss your findings with your class.113
16. Adjust the light station by replacing the single slit with the
triple slit.
17. In your group, predict what would happen if you aim the three
rays of light from the triple slit at an angle towards the mirror. In
your science notebook, draw a diagram to represent your group’s
prediction. Make sure to include the reasoning behind your
prediction.114115
18. Test your prediction and record your observations by drawing a
diagram in your science notebook.
19. Replace the plane mirror with the curved mirror and repeat
Steps 17–18.
20. Replace the curved mirror with the white index card and repeat
Steps 17–18.

ANALYSIS
1. What patterns did you notice about the angle of the listener tube
compared with the angle of the speaker tube?116
2. Describe the relationship between the angle that a ray hits a
mirror and the angle that the same ray reflects off117118
a. a plane mirror.
b. a curved mirror.
111 NGSPPI1
112 SEASPI1
113 NGSPAD3
114 NGSPDM1
115 NGSPNS1
116 NGCCPA1
117 NGSPAD3
118 NGSPUM1

50 WAVES
 WAVE REFLECTION ACTIVITY 8

3. Was light reflected off the white index card? Explain how you
know.119120
4. Which surface, a smooth or bumpy one, do you think would be
best used for the ceiling of a concert hall? Explain your choice.121
5. The diagram below represents a highly magnified image of the
surface of the index card. The five lines with arrows represent
rays of light hitting the card. Copy the diagram and then122123124
a. draw the rays of light that are reflected from the card.
b. explain why the surface of the card does not appear shiny like
a mirror.

6. Explain why the ears of some mammals are bowl-shaped.125

IAPS 3e Waves SB
Fig. SB 8_5_alt
MyriadPro Reg 9.5/11

7. If only some of the light that hits an object is reflected, predict

what might happen to the rest of the light.126

119 NGPS4B1
120 NGPS4B2
121 NGCCSF2
122 NGPS4B1
123 NGPS4B2
124 NGSPDM1
125 NGCCSF1
126 NGPS4B1

WAVES 51
 9 Refraction Of Light
l a b o r at o r y

I n general , light travels in a straight line. This occurs when light

is transmitted, which is when light passes through a vacuum
or a material. However, at the boundary between two transparent
materials, the light can be redirected. This phenomenon is called
refraction. Refraction occurs when a wave passes from one mate-
rial to another, such as from air to glass. Upon entering the second
material, the light travels at a higher or lower speed depending on
the properties of the second material such as temperature, pressure,
and density. As the speed changes, the direction of travel through
the material also changes if it hits the boundary at an angle other
than perpendicular. This can be observed when a pencil inserted
in a glass of water appears to bend at the boundary where the water
meets the air. 127

GUIDING QUESTION
How does light behave at the boundary
between two different materials?

MATERIALS
For each group of four students
1 light station
1 single-slit mask
1 beam blocker with stand
1 semicircular container
1 protractor
1 ruler
1 sheet of white paper
milky water
For each student
1 Student Sheet 9.1, “Refraction Measurements”
1 Student Sheet 9.2, “Total Internal Reflection
Measurements”
1 sheet graph paper

127 NGPS4B2

52 WAVES
 REFRACTION OF LIGHT ACTIVITY 9

PROCEDURE
Part A: Refraction128129130
1. Place the container with milky water on Student Sheet 9.1,
“Refraction Measurements.”
2. With your partner, predict what will happen to the path of a
beam of light when it is pointed directly down the center line
toward the dot and through the container full of milky water, as
shown in the diagram below.

IAPS 3e Waves SB
3. Fig.
Test SByour
9_2 prediction and record your results on Student Sheet 9.1.
MyriadPro Reg 9.5/11
4. Design an investigation to learn what happens to the direction
of the beam of light when it hits the boundary of the glass or
container at an angle between 0 and 90 degrees. In your investi-
gation, make sure to measure the
• angle of incidence, or the angle between the incoming light
ray and the normal line.
• angle of refraction, or the angle between the normal line
and the path the light travels in the new medium. 131132

Medium 1 Medium 2

Angle of
refraction
Angle of
incidence

128
129
NGPS4B1
NGPS4B2
IAPS 3e Waves SB
130 ELRS683 Fig. SB 9_3
131 NGSPPI1
132 SEASPI1 MyriadPro Reg 9.5/11
WAVES 53
ACTIVITY 9 REFRACTION OF LIGHT

5. After getting approval from your teacher, conduct the investiga-

tion and record your results. 133
6. Graph the angle of incidence (x-axis) vs. the angle of refraction
(y-axis).
7. With your group, make a statement that explains the pattern
in your results, and record the statement in your science
notebook.134135

Part B: Total Internal Reflection

8. With your partner, design an investigation to find the critical
angle of the milky water. The critical angle is equal to the
angle of incidence that produces a 90-degree angle of refraction.
When the incident ray is greater than the critical angle, the light
traveling from an optically denser to less dense medium no
longer transmits through the material. Instead, it is completely
reflected back into the denser material. When the light no longer
travels through to the next medium in this way, it is called total
internal reflection. In this activity, the optically denser medium
is the milky water and the less dense medium is the air.136137

Incident ray

Container of milky water

9. IAPS
Use3e Student
Waves SBSheet 9.2, “Total Internal Reflection
Fig. SB 9_4
Measurements,” to collect your data.
MyriadPro Reg 9.5/11
10. Share your results with the class.

133 NGSPPI3
134 NGCCPA2
135 NGCCNS2
136 SEASPI1
137 NGSPPI1

54 WAVES
 REFRACTION OF LIGHT ACTIVITY 9

ANALYSIS
1. Draw a diagram with labels that shows how the light traveled
through the milky water when it was138
a. directed down the normal line.
b. directed at an angle.
2. Look at the data below that show the refraction of light from one
medium to another for various materials.139

Refraction of common materials

Material Critical angle Optical Density Incident angle Refraction angle
(degrees) (index of refraction) (degrees) (degrees)
Water 50 1.3 20 15.2
Sugar solution (40%) 46 1.4 20 14.1
Acrylic 42 1.5 20 13.2
Flint glass 39 1.6 20 12.3

Your friend looks at these data and says, “I see a general trend
showing that as the optical density of a material increases, the
critical angle also increases.” Do you agree or disagree with your
friend? Explain your opinion using evidence from the table.140141
3. The principle of total internal reflection is used in fiber optic
technology. A wave signal is sent down a glass tube at greater
than the critical angle so that it is reflected off the interior of
the tube as it travels. Copy the close-up diagram of a fiber optic
cable below. Draw arrow(s) that show a possible ray that is
totally internally reflected through the tube.142

25°

IAPS 3e Waves SB
Fig. SB 9_5
MyriadPro Reg 9.5/11

138 NGSPDM1
139 SEASAD1
140 NGCCPA2
141 NGSPAD3
142 NGSPDM1 WAVES 55
ACTIVITY 9 REFRACTION OF LIGHT

4. The functioning of the human eyeball depends on the refraction

of light. When light comes into the eye, first the cornea and then
the lens refracts the light so that it focuses on the retina. The lens
is flexible and is controlled by muscles in the eye. The curva-
ture of the lens changes in order to focus objects at different
distances. If the lens does not refract properly, the light rays do
not come together at a point on the retina.
When the light focuses past the retina, the person will have
blurry vision at close distances. This person would be considered
farsighted. Farsightedness can be corrected with eyeglasses or
contact lenses that refract the light inwards before it enters the
eye. The opposite problem, or nearsightedness, occurs when the
light entering the eye comes to a point before it hits the retina. It
results in blurry vision at farther distances. This is corrected by
refracting the light outwards before it enters the eye. 143

Near sighted Far sighted

Retina Retina

IAPS
Which one of the following eyeglass lenses can be used to
3e Waves SB
make
Fig. the light fall on the retina of a nearsighted person? Draw
SB 9_6
MyriadPro
a diagram Regthat
9.5/11
shows the lens, the eye, and two rays of light
converging on the retina.

A B C

143 NGCCSF2

IAPS 3e Waves SB
Fig. SB 9_7
56 WAVES
MyriadPro Reg 9.5/11
 STUDENT SHEET 9.1
REFRACTION MEASUREMENTS

Name______________________________________________________________ Date____________
0°

10° 10°
20° 20°
30° 30°

40° 40°

50° 50°

60° 60°

70° 70°

80° 80°

90° 90°

80° 80°

70° 70°

60° 60°

50° 50°

40° 40°

30° 30°
©2017 The Regents of the University of California

20° 20°
10° 10°
Center line

0°

y
Light ray Light ra

LabAids SEPUP IAPS Waves 3e

 STUDENT SHEET 9.2
TOTAL INTERNAL REFLECTION MEASUREMENTS

Name______________________________________________________________ Date____________

0°

10° 10°
20° 20°
30° 30°

40° 40°

50° 50°

60° 60°

70° 70°

80° 80°

90° 90°

80° 80°

70° 70°

60° 60°

50° 50°

40° 40°

30° 30°
©2017 The Regents of the University of California

20° 20°
10° 10°
Center line

0°

y
Light ray Light ra
10    Comparing Colors
l a b o r at o r y

D uring first period , Jenna noticed that her friend José looked worried.

After class she asked, “José, is everything okay with you?”

José replied, “Well, actually, I’m a little distracted because my favorite great-
aunt, Tía Ana, is having eye surgery.”
“Surgery!” replied Jenna. “What happened?”
José explained, “Everything began to look a bit blurry and she became sensi-
tive to the glare of lights, especially at night. When she went to her doctor, she
learned that the lens in one of her eyes had developed a cataract. Today the
eye surgeon is going to take out the cloudy lens in her right eye and put in an
artificial one. I know it is a common procedure, but I am worried anyway.”
Sighted people use their eyes for almost everything they do, and so
it is important to take care of them. One thing that hurts our eyes is
too much exposure to the sun. Even people with limited vision may
damage their eyes further by exposing them to too much sunlight.
In this activity, you will explore some of the characteristics of white
light to investigate what might have damaged Tía Ana’s eyesight.
White light can be separated into the visible light spectrum, which
is the scientific name for the colors of the rainbow.

WAVES 57
ACTIVITY 10 COMPARING COLORS

GUIDING QUESTION
How are the colors of the visible light spectrum similar to and
different from each other?

MATERIALS
For each pair of students
1 Phospho-box
1 card with a star-shaped cutout
1 colored-film card
1 timer

PROCEDURE
Part A: The Visible Light Spectrum144145
1. Observe how your teacher splits white light into the colors of the
visible spectrum.
2. List the colors that you see in the order that they appear.
3. Describe whether the colors blend from one to the next or have
distinct boundaries between them.
4. Which color of light seems to be
a. the brightest?
b. the least bright?

Part B: Colored Light146147148,149

5. Open the lid of the Phospho-box and examine the bottom of
the box. The strip on the bottom of the Phospho-box is sensi-
tive to a particular short-wavelength wave. Sketch and describe
what you observe.
6. Close the Phospho-box and turn it over so that the top with the
viewing slit is on the table. Slip the card with the star-shaped
cutout into the card-insert location at the bottom of the box, as
shown below. Leave the box in this position for 30 s.
7. Turn the Phospho-box right
side up, open the top, and let
Bottom
light hit the entire bottom of Card insert location
the box for 20 s.
144 NGPS4B3
145 NGPS4B3
146 NGPS4B1
147 NGPS4B3
148 NGPS4B1
149 NGPS4B3

58 WAVES
3789 LabAids SEPUP IAPS Waves SB 2e
Figure: 3789Waves SB06_02 2e
LegacySansMedium 10/11.5
 COMPARING COLORS ACTIVITY 10

8. Close the top of the Phospho-box and

remove the card with the star-shaped
cutout. Quickly look through the viewing
slit and record your observations.
9. Turn over the Phospho-box as you did in
Step 6. Lay the colored-film card on top
of the Phospho-box.
10. Describe or sketch what you see. Rank the
colors from brightest to least bright.
11. Describe or sketch what you predict you
will observe if you repeat Steps 6–8 using
the colored-film card instead of the card
with the star-shaped cutout.
12. Repeat Steps 6–8, but use the colored-film
card instead of the card with the star-
shaped cutout.
A rainbow shows the colors
13. Rank each color of the cutout shape according to how brightly it of the visible light spectrum.
caused the strip on the bottom of the Phospho-box to glow.
14. Describe or sketch what you predict you will observe if you
repeat Steps 6–8 with the colored-film card, but this time let the
sunlight hit the bottom of the box for 40 s.
15. Repeat Steps 6–8 with the colored-film card, but this time let the
light hit the bottom of the Phospho-box for 40 s. Record your
results in your science notebook.150151152153

ANALYSIS
1. What is the purpose of the card with the star-shaped cutout?
2. How do you think the colored-film card changes the white light
into colored light? Describe how you might test your ideas to see
if they are correct.154, 155
3. Why do you think only some colors make the strip on the
bottom of the Phospho-box glow? Explain.156157

150 NGSPPI3
151 ELRS683
152 NGSPPI3
153 ELRS683
154 NGPS4B1
155 NGPS4B1
156 NGPS4B3
157 NGPS4B3

WAVES 59
ACTIVITY 10 COMPARING COLORS

4. Is there enough evidence—information that supports or refutes

a claim—that supports the idea that the higher-energy colors of
white light are damaging Tía Ana’s eyes? Explain your answer.
5. Which characteristic of a light wave explored in this activity
affects the amount of energy that it carries?158159
6. Sunglass lenses are an example of a material that blocks some
white light and some other short-wavelength light that is harmful
to the eyes. Examine the transmission graphs about three pairs
of sunglasses below.

Lens 1 Lens 2 Lens 3

100 100 60% total light 100

30% total light transmission 30% total light
Transmission (%)

Transmission (%)

80 transmission 80 80 transmission

Transmission (%)
60 60 60

40 40 40

20 20 20

0 0 0
300 400 500 600 700 800 300 400 500 600 700 800 300 400 500 600 700 800
UV V B G Y O R IR UV V B G Y O R IR UV V B G Y O R IR
Wavelength (nm) Wavelength (nm) Wavelength (nm)

a. Which
3789 LabAids lens
SEPUP hasWaves
IAPS the best2eprotection
SB 3789 for theIAPS
LabAids SEPUP eyesWaves
against
SB 3789
2e LabAids SEPUP IAPS Waves SB 2e
Figure: 3789Waves SB06_04 2e Figure: 3789Waves
high-energy waves? Explain how you decided.SB06_05 2e
160161 Figure: 3789Waves SB06_06 2e
LegacySansMedium 10/11.5 LegacySansMedium 10/11.5 LegacySansMedium 10/11.5
b. The price for each pair of sunglasses is shown below. Which
pair would you buy? Why? Describe any trade-offs you made
in your choice. A trade-off is an outcome given up to gain
another outcome.
Lens 1: $80  
Lens 2: $10  
Lens 3: $20162

158 NGPS4B3
159 NGPS4B3
160 NGPS4B1
161 NGPS4B1
162 NGCCSF2

60 WAVES