Students measure the angles of refraction of laser light traveling through gelatin, then plot their data to calculate the gelatin’s index of refraction.You may choose from two different "Elaborate" activities:

Gelatin Stack: Students formulate a hypothesis and design a simple experiment to test it.

The “Super” in Super Gelatin: Students calculate how the wavelength and speed of light change inside the gelatin.

Materials You Will Need

Per student lab group

• Wax paper sheet
• graph paper (1/4 inch ruled with blue ink)
• protractor
• scientific calculator (like a TI-30)
• Laser pointer
• binder clip big enough to grip the laser pointer and hold down the “on” switch.

To prepare Gelatin for distribution to lab groups

•  Knox gelatin (8 x 7 ounce envelopes)
•  desert gelatin with sugar (like Jell-O®) in red (strawberry) and yellow (pineapple).
•  cookie sheet (1/2 to 3/4 inch deep, smooth and non-stick surface) or brownie pan (8 x 8inches, 2 inches deep).