I like to call this experiment The Pencil Boogie. It's easy to do, but surprisingly fun. Here's a video of the experiment:
Materials
- Pencil
- Empty glass
- Glass full of water
Protocols
- Put the pencil in the empty glass and look at it from eye level.
- Put the pencil in the water and look at it from eye level.
- Start to spin the pencil in the water slowly, then look at it from eye level.
What's Happening
- The light is playing tricks on you. Light moves slower through water than through air, so when the light enters the glass of water it slows down and changes direction. When it leaves the glass, it speeds up again, making the pencil look bent. This is called refraction.
- When the pencil is put at an angle the light exits out at an angle, but if you hold it up straight the pencil still looks whole because the light is not at an angle.
Signing Off,
Evalynn and Mom
That is really cool. Thanks for explaining it so well. There is another experiment with light refraction that is really fun. Apparently light has different colors that can't ordinarilly be seen. However, if you hold a glass cristal up to the light, the angles of the cristal bend the light and the colors are separated so you can see them. There're is a great Disney movie (Polyanna) that demonstrates how you can make this "rainbow" effect. Next time we are together we can try and make a rainbow. Love you. Grandpa Woolf
ReplyDeleteWe have that movie Grandpa! Maybe my Mom will let me watch it for school! I can't wait to make a rainbow with you. Love you. Evalynn
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