College of Liberal Arts & Sciences
6A40.34 - Index of Refraction - Laser Tape Measure
Position the note card inside the fish tank and at one end. Make sure 1//2 of it is out of the water and 1/2 of it is under water. Put the laser tape measure against the outside of the fish tank opposite the note card. Take distance measurements shooting the laser in air and in water. The calculated index of refraction from these two measurements should be 1.3 to 1.33.
NOTE: The reason this works is because the laser tape measure predicates its measurements on the speed of the laser light though a vacuum.
- Romulo Ochoa, Richard Fiorillo, Cris Ochoa, "Index of Refraction Measurements Using a Laser Distance Meter", TPT, Vol. 52, # 3, March 2014, p. 167.
- Frank A. SMith, Jr., "Lecture Hall Calculation of the Refractive Index of a Liquid", AJP, Vol. 47, #1, Jan. 1979, p. 120.
Disclaimer: These demonstrations are provided only for illustrative use by persons affiliated with The University of Iowa and only under the direction of a trained instructor or physicist. The University of Iowa is not responsible for demonstrations performed by those using their own equipment or who choose to use this reference material for their own purpose. The demonstrations included here are within the public domain and can be found in materials contained in libraries, bookstores, and through electronic sources. Performing all or any portion of any of these demonstrations, with or without revisions not depicted here entails inherent risks. These risks include, without limitation, bodily injury (and possibly death), including risks to health that may be temporary or permanent and that may exacerbate a pre-existing medical condition; and property loss or damage. Anyone performing any part of these demonstrations, even with revisions, knowingly and voluntarily assumes all risks associated with them.