What causes a mirage of a pool to appear on a snny day
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On a sunny day, a mirage of a pool can appear due to the phenomenon known as atmospheric refraction. This occurs when light waves passing through different layers of air with varying densities create optical illusions.
To understand why a mirage of a pool appears, here's a step-by-step explanation:
1. Temperature gradient: On a sunny day, the ground is heated by the sun, causing the air directly above it to become hotter compared to the air at higher altitudes.
2. Refractive index: The refractive index of air changes with temperature. When the temperature decreases with altitude, the refractive index of the air above becomes gradually higher.
3. Light bending: As light travels from one medium (such as air) to another (such as hot air closer to the ground), it changes direction due to the difference in refractive indices. This bending of light is known as refraction.
4. Total internal reflection: When light passes through a medium with a higher refractive index (hotter air), and encounters a boundary with a medium with a lower refractive index (cooler air), it can be bent so much that it reflects off the boundary instead of being transmitted.
5. Virtual image formation: The reflected light creates a virtual image, appearing as if it is coming from a pool of water on the ground. This virtual image is the mirage of a pool.
So, in summary, a mirage of a pool appears on a sunny day due to the bending of light caused by the temperature gradient and the resulting variation in refractive indices of the different layers of air.