Refraction

High school (ages 12+)
Science & Technology

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/refraction

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. Why does a straw look bent when it is in a glass of water?When light moves from air into water, it slows down and changes direction, making the straw appear bent. This bending is called refraction.
2. What is refraction?Refraction is the bending of light when it travels between two different transparent materials, like air and water. It happens because light moves at different speeds in each material.

Refractive Index (n): A dimensionless number indicating how much light slows down and bends when entering a material from a vacuum.
Angle of Incidence: The angle between an incoming light ray and the normal (a line perpendicular to the surface) at the point of incidence.
Dispersion: The phenomenon where the angle of refraction depends on the wavelength (color) of light, causing white light to split into its spectrum.