Lesson 5 of 11
Light bends
Show on a big screenA spoon is in a glass of water. It looks bent at the surface.
Step 1 of 4
- A ray travels through air and reaches the surface.
- The normal is drawn square to the surface.
- Going straight through would look like this (dashed).
- The ray really bends toward the normal.
The rule
Refraction is light bending as it enters another clear material. It bends when the ray comes in at a slant. Air, water and glass are clear materials.
Light bends where it goes from air into water. It bends toward the normal. A ray along the normal does not bend.
Coming back out into air, the ray bends away from the normal. Measure angles from the normal. A bigger angle in air gives a bigger bend.
Swing the ray. See how much it bends.
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Try the lab to finish this lesson.