A low-cost apparatus targeting the didactic activities of geometric optics studies is developed. The main parts of this apparatus are designed on sheets of medium-density fiberboard and are cut using a CO2 laser engraving machine. Two optical elements of glass (a rectangular plate and a Littrow prism placed on a properly designed rotating base) are used to verify the law of refraction in addition to verifying the laws of reflection by the aid of the rectangular plate. The apparatus offers several advantages; it is economic, efficient, safe, compact, portable, and stackable, allowing several copies of the apparatus to be stored in a small area. Moreover, the results demonstrate that the apparatus is efficient and the students found it easy to perform the experiments.
Usually, teaching optics in introductory physics classes is conducted by explaining the theoretical frameworks in classrooms. Then, simple experiments can be performed in the laboratory, where...