Practice question · Multiple choice
A fisherman looks down at a fish under the water’s surface. Because light bends when leaving the water, where does the fish appear compared to where it really is?
Hints
- Rays leaving water bend away from the normal (water → air, drops).
- Your brain traces the bent rays backwards in straight lines. Where do those traced-back lines meet?
Show the answer
A. Shallower than it really is
Why
Rays from the fish bend away from the normal at the surface; extended backwards, they intersect above the true position. The fish sits deeper than it looks, which is why spear fishers aim below the image.
Practise Geometric Optics: Reflection and Refraction
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More questions on Geometric Optics: Reflection and Refraction
- Which are properties of a real image formed by a converging lens?
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- The angle of incidence equals the angle of refraction when light passes into a denser medium.
- Light bends toward the normal entering glass and away from it leaving. What explains both?