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Prisms

Authors: Ms. Giselle dos Santos Castro - Federal University of Ceara - UFC
Dr. Nildo Loiola Dias - Federal University of Ceara - UFC

CONTROLS:

- Choose the prism geometry from two options (equilateral or isosceles).
- Choose the prism material from 6 options.
- Click on LASER ON button to view the light beam.
- Use the blue cursor to rotate the prism. Buttons (<) and (>) allow fine control in rotation.
- Click on the SHOW NORMALS button to view the normals at the points of incidence.
- Click on the SHOW PROTRACTOR button to get a protractor that can be dragged to the desired position. When clicking on SHOW PROTRACTOR, a MEASURE button also appears. By clicking on the MEASURE button, the protractor takes on stronger colors for easier reading.
- Click on the SHOW ELONGATIONS button to view the elongations of the light rays. Elongations are only shown when there is no internal reflection.

DESCRIPTION OF THE SIMULATION:

This simulation makes it possible to study the behavior of a ray of light incident on a prism. It is possible to verify that the deviation suffered by a ray of light in a prism passes through a minimum. The refractive index of 6 different materials can be determined by measuring the minimum deviation. There are two geometry options: equilateral and isosceles.

For an analysis of the data, consult one of the proposed ACTIVITY GUIDE.

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