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Stars are able to bend light because of the enormous gravitational pull they have, but you don't have to be a Superman or a Superwoman to bend light... |
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You still don't believe that light can be bent? Then try this for yourself!! |
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A Broken Pencil?
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Fill a clear drinking glass 1/2 full of water.
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Place a pencil or straw in the glass holding is straight up and down (vertical).
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The pencil should look normal. Lean the pencil against the side of the glass.
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How does it look now? Back up a little or peer in from the top. It should look like it is broken and bent at a funny angle. This is the effect of refraction or bending of light. We use this idea to make lenses - shaped pieces of glass that bend light in a special way. Lenses are used in telescopes to make things far away appear to be closer. They are also used in microscopes to make small things appear to be larger. |
FIND OUT MORE:-
- If you don't have a prism at home to play with (often found in old binoculars) then try this demonstration...
- You can make a simple magnifying lens by dipping the top end of a hair clip into some water. You could use a piece of copper wire bent into a small loop at the top instead. Try out your water drop lens and see how many times bigger it makes things look.
- Want to make a better light bender? Build this microscope...
- Some microscopes do not use light at all. See what an electron microscope can do!
- Build a Sun Gun..look at the closest star to Earth during the day time...
RETURN TO... FUN! Science Experiments
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