Miss Smith places a stick in a pond when she looks down at the stick it appears to be broken or bent at the Pole where the stick entered the water this was caused by
Refraction. Refraction is the bending of light as it passes from one medium to another. When light passes from air into water, it bends, causing objects to appear distorted. In this case, the stick appears to be bent at the point where it enters the water due to the refraction of light.
The bending or breaking of the stick at the point where it enters the water is caused by a phenomenon known as refraction. Refraction occurs when light passes from one medium (such as air) to another medium (such as water) with a different optical density. When light waves encounter the interface between the two mediums at an angle, they change direction and velocity.
In this case, when the stick enters the water, light waves from the stick traveling through the air encounter the water at an angle. As a result, the light waves change direction and velocity as they enter the water. This change in direction of light causes the stick to appear bent or broken at the point where it enters the water.
The amount of bending or refraction depends on the refractive indices (how much light bends in a given medium) of the two mediums involved. In general, light waves travel slower in denser mediums such as water. This causes the stick to appear bent when viewed from above the water's surface.
This phenomenon occurs with any object that is partially submerged in water, creating the illusion of bending or breaking.