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A LITTLE SOMETHING WORTH KNOWING

A small discovery. Yours to pass on.

ScienceOne small ahaPhysics concept

Light changes direction as it changes speed between materials, making a straw look bent in water.

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Your new ahaRefraction

Refraction occurs when a wave changes speed as it crosses between media. Source: Refraction

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More from Physics in Plain Sight

A few more worth knowing.

  1. 14A mirror returns light at an angle equal to its angle of incidence through this process.RECALL
    Reflection

    Reflection returns light at the same angle it strikes a surface, which is how mirrors show a clear image.

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  2. 15Waves spread around obstacles and through gaps in this process, especially when the gap is comparable to their wavelength.RECALL
    Diffraction

    Diffraction spreads waves around obstacles or through narrow gaps, most visibly when the gap nears the wave's own length.

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  3. 16These mechanical waves carry audible vibrations through a medium such as air or water.IDENTIFY
    Sound Waves

    Sound travels as vibrations through a medium and moves faster through water than through air.

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