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Light waves look bent in water due to refraction, which is caused by the change in speed of light as it passes from one medium to another. The bending occurs because light travels at different speeds in different mediums, causing a change in direction at the interface between the two.

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1y ago

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What wave property causes a straw to look loke it is bent in a glass of water?

Refraction of light causes the straw to appear bent in a glass of water. Light waves change speed and direction when they pass from one medium (air) to another (water), causing the light to bend at the air-water interface. This bending effect creates the illusion of the straw being bent.


Are light rays refracted or bent as they pass from on substance to a different substance?

Yes, and that is called Refraction. This is because the speed of light can vary from medium to medium. The speed of light commonly known is the speed of light at a vacuum.Put a straw to a glass of water and look from above. You may see the straight straw bent at the surface of water, because the light rays that come from under the water are bent when passing the water/air barrier. Because light rays speeds up when entering air from water. This change of speed can change the angle it was travelling.Light is an electro magnetic wave. Electro magnetic waves have the wave particle duality, that it behaves as a energy wave as well as a particle stream. Therefore, em waves also has a mass.


What happens when light is bent as it passes throuh a droplet of water?

The water will look like a rainbow. that's what happens when it rains


Why does a pencil seem to be split in to 2 when it is in water?

When a pencil is placed in water, light waves are refracted as they pass through the water, causing the pencil to appear bent or split. This is due to the change in speed of light as it moves from one medium (air) to another (water), creating an optical illusion that makes the pencil look split.


Why does a straw look bent when you put it into water?

When light moves from air to water, it changes speed and direction, causing the light rays to bend. This bending of light creates an optical illusion that makes the portion of the straw underwater appear bent. This effect is called refraction.


What causes a pencil to look bent in water?

Water can cause a distortion of the light and in turn causes optical illusions. The water refracts light in such a way that objects viewed through light can appear bent, or angled sharply. This is a function of refraction.


Why does a straw look bent in a galss of water?

When light passes from air into water, it changes speed and direction due to the difference in refractive index. This causes the light to bend or refract, making the straw appear to be bent at the air-water interface.


Why is it when you look in a pond from shore objects are not what they appear to be?

I believe the objects are what they appear to be, but not where they appear to be. This is due to the bending (refraction) of light waves as they travel through the water. The light coming to your eyes from the objects must pass through water, and then transition to air. The angle at which the light hits the boundary between the air and water determines how much the beam is bent. If you look straight down at an object in the water, it will appear to be in the correct place and orientation, but any other angle change the light, and therefore distorts the image.


How does water change the appearance of substances?

Well as far as i know, when light enters water, it is refracted (bent), this makes the object that the light hits appear to look different as it wold in the air.


Why does a straw appear to be bent in a glass of water?

This is due to the principle of refraction. Refraction occurs at the boundary of the two media air and water. When a light ray hits this boundary at an angle, it changes direction and seems to bend. So. the straw appear bent when we look at it through the water glass because light is being bent as it passes through the different media of air, water, and the glass.


What would an image look like that shows polarized light waves?

Polarized light waves


Is light bent towards or away from the medium in water?

Light bends towards the denser medium. If the light passes at an angle from air into water the angle will increase. An object underwater will appear closer to you than it actually is when you look down into the water at an angle.