Look very closely at the.  The limes appear distorted when viewed through the water in the mugs.

Try this now if you have a clear glass and some water.  Partially submerge various objects.  You will find that any partially submerged object will appear to disconnect or shift at the water line.

This visual effect is caused by refraction, a process that occurs as light, or any other form of EMR, passes from one medium to another.  In the photograph, the light reflected from the straw passes from water into air, where you observe refraction.  As light moves from the water into the air, it undergoes refraction, which is a change in its direction.

 

 

Image by Steve Buissinne from Pixabay

In this lesson you will answer the following essential questions:

  • What is the cause of refraction?
  • What is an index of refraction, and how does Snell's Law use it to describe refraction mathematically?
  • What is total internal reflection? How does it relate to the critical angle?
  • How does a prism produce a rainbow, and how is a prism similar to a natural rainbow?