Last Problem:
Place a coin in the bottom of a bucket so that when you peer over the rim of the bucket the coin is just out of sight. Without moving the bucket or your vantage point, slowly begin to fill the bucket with water. What do you see happening to the coin?
Answer:
As the container fills with water, the coin will slowly come into view.
Light travels at different speeds through different substances. It travels more slowly through water or glass than it does through air. When light passes across the border between two different “speed zones,” it changes direction. This change in direction is called refraction. It makes light rays look like they “bend” at the point where two substances meet.
When the light from the coin reaches the surface of the water it is bent back toward your eyes. Since your brain does not sense what is happening, you perceive the light as coming from a place that is higher and farther back than the coin actually is.
What lens do we use to assess our own situation in the moment? Is refraction working in our favor in the moment, or are we being refracted from the truth of who we really are?
Today’s Problem:
Will a magnifying glass enlarge the image of a knife on the bottom of a pool if the magnifying lens is placed underwater?