Refraction in Saltwater

Overview

Objectives/Goals My hypothesis is that if I increase the salt concentration by 2.5% or add 5 grams the refracted ray will increase by 2 degrees. Methods/Materials First, I took a container of Morton Table Salt an then I measures 10 containers of these 5 different amounts: 1, 5, 10, 15, and 20 grams. After that, I will take the different amounts of salt and dissolve them into 90 degree Fahrenheit water; creating a 0.5%, 2.5%, 5%, 7.5% and 10% concentration. Then, I will take my red remote laser and point it into the water at an 80 degree angle. Using my protractor located in the front of my cup, I look to see the new refracted ray. I will then note the new angle and repeat this process for the different concentrations for 10 trails. Results In the end, I learned my hypothesis was incorrect. Actually, when I increased the salt concentration by 2.5% or added 5 grams into the solution, the refracted ray is about 1 degree more than the last five grams. My graph showed a direct relation; and didn't show anything out of the ordinary. Conclusions/Discussion While doing this experiment, everything went the way as planned, except it took longer than I expected. If I were to practice this experiment again, I would have had a 0% concentration, just to see if the 0.5% concentration affected the results. Also, I would not have procrastinated and spend my time wisely. I would have done this experiment again.

Competition history

• CSEF 2011 Physics & Astronomy · Entry J1816

Resources

• CSEF project summary ↗

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