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Bending Light!

Light normally travels in a straight line but using refraction you can bend light to change the appearance of an image on the other side of a glass of water!

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We use this simple experiment to look at some of the properties of light and how they can be affected by the world around them.

Bending Light!

Materials

  • A clear glass

  • Water

  • A piece of paper or cardboard

  • Something to draw with
    (pencils, crayons, paint)

  • Something to lean your drawing against

Procedure

  1. Draw two fish on your paper, facing the same direction.
     

  2. Place your clear glass on the table. On the opposite side from you, place your drawing and the item it's leaning against.
     

  3. Slowly fill the glass with water and you’ll see that the fish are turned the other direction!
     

  4. You can also put your face up to the glass to see them switch back and, if you slowly back away from the glass, you can find the distance where they change!

This experiment is great for beginner explorers and uses household ingredients.

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