Refraction
When light passes at a slant from one clear material into another, such as from air into water or glass, its path bends at the boundary, because light travels at different speeds in different materials. Going from air into water or glass it bends towards the normal; coming back out into air it bends away from it; a ray that meets the boundary along the normal goes straight on. Refraction is why a pencil in water looks broken and why a pool looks shallower than it is.
Depth 1 · Foundation
You know that light bends when it passes at a slant between clear materials, can say which way it bends going into and out of water or glass, and can use that to explain a 'broken' pencil, a coin that appears in a cup and a pool that looks shallow.
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- 1
Foundation
You know that light bends when it passes at a slant between clear materials, can say which way it bends going into and out of water or glass, and can use that to explain a 'broken' pencil, a coin that appears in a cup and a pool that looks shallow.
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