Question

An underwater scuba diver looks up toward the water's surface. She sees a buoy floating on the surface and notes its location. She then realizes that the buoy may actually be in a different location because she is looking at it from underwater. What is the wave property that best explains this phenomenon?

Answer 1

Answer:

Refraction

Explanation:

• Whenever there is a change in media through which light travels there is change in the speed of light due to which there is bending of light when there is change in the medium.

• When a ray of light passes from and optically denser medium to and optically rarer medium then it bends away from the normal to the interface and vice-versa.

As here the scuba driver is looking from an optically denser medium to an optically rarer medium the boy may appear nearer to the diver in position than is actually in the air.

Snell's law gives the relation between the angle of incidence and the angle of refraction as:

$n=\frac{sin\ i}{sin\ r}$

where

n = refractive index

i = angle of incidence

r = angle of refraction