Verifying Refraction of Coin in Water & Benzene

  • Thread starter Thread starter KBriggs
  • Start date Start date
  • Tags Tags
    Refraction
Click For Summary
SUMMARY

The discussion focuses on calculating the apparent depth of a coin submerged in water and benzene, with specific refractive indices of 1.33 for water and 1.5 for benzene. The user derived the apparent depth for an observer in benzene as 1.128 meters and then calculated the total apparent depth as 0.885 meters by treating the entire tank as filled with benzene. The verification of these calculations confirms the accuracy of the method used.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of Snell's Law and refraction principles
  • Knowledge of refractive indices for different media
  • Basic algebra for manipulating ratios and equations
  • Familiarity with the concept of apparent depth in optics
NEXT STEPS
  • Study Snell's Law in detail to understand light behavior at interfaces
  • Explore the concept of apparent depth in various mediums
  • Learn about the effects of different refractive indices on light propagation
  • Investigate practical applications of refraction in optical devices
USEFUL FOR

Students in physics, particularly those studying optics, as well as educators and anyone interested in the practical applications of refraction in real-world scenarios.

KBriggs
Messages
29
Reaction score
0
Hey,
this is just an exercise in my textbook. I think I have the solution, but I would just like for someone to verify my answer.

A coin rests on the bottom of a tank of water 1m deep, with a 20cm layer of benzene on top of the water. n for water is 1.33, for benzene it is 1.5. Find the apparent depth of the coin views from normal incidence in air above the benzene.

What I did was I split it up - I assumed an observer in the benzene, and proved that the ratio of apparent depth to real depth was:

\frac{d'}{d} = \frac{n_b}{n_w}=>d' = 1.128m for an observer in benzene at the b-w interface looking down through water.

Then I treated the problem as though the whole tank was benzene and the object was at a depth 0f 0.2 + 1.128m. The analysis was the same, with the result of d'' = 0.885m.

Can someone verify these numbers for me?

Thanks :)
 
Physics news on Phys.org
Your method and answer look good to me.
 

Similar threads

  • · Replies 5 ·
Replies
5
Views
7K
  • · Replies 8 ·
Replies
8
Views
6K
  • · Replies 1 ·
Replies
1
Views
5K
  • · Replies 8 ·
Replies
8
Views
4K
  • · Replies 1 ·
Replies
1
Views
4K
  • · Replies 1 ·
Replies
1
Views
2K
Replies
6
Views
2K
Replies
6
Views
4K
  • · Replies 4 ·
Replies
4
Views
2K
  • · Replies 1 ·
Replies
1
Views
3K