Which property causes a pencil to appear bent or broken when it is placed in a glass partially filled with water?(1 point)
Responses
Reflection
Reflection
Absorption
Absorption
Normal
Normal
Refraction
Refraction
refraction
The property that causes a pencil to appear bent or broken when placed in a glass partially filled with water is called refraction. Refraction is the bending of light as it passes from one medium to another, such as from air to water or from water to air.
To understand why refraction occurs in this scenario, we need to consider the properties of light and how it travels. When light passes through a medium with a different optical density, such as water compared to air, it changes direction due to differences in speed.
In the case of the pencil in water, the light rays from the top portion of the pencil move from water into air when they reach the air-water interface. As they cross this boundary, they slow down and change direction. On the other hand, the light rays from the bottom portion of the pencil move from air into water, speeding up and changing direction as they cross the interface.
This change in direction of light at the air-water interface is why the pencil appears bent or broken when viewed from above the water surface. The light rays coming from different parts of the pencil are refracted differently, causing a visual distortion.
So, the correct answer is refraction.