I was reading Strange Universe by Bob Berman last night and he mentioned something that I noticed when I was younger but couldn't explain. I had forgotten until now. Here's what he said:
"On a hot day, and especially if you're late for work, you might see a mirage on the road, a pool of water that isn't there. In the very hot air just above the asphalt, the speed of light is faster than that in the cooler, denser air a few inches higher up. When light changes speed (it is constant only in a vacuum) it bends, or refracts, creating imaginary reflective zones that look like puddles. Refraction makes a spoon in a half-glass of water look bent, too. It causes fish in pools or tanks to appear in different places from where they really are. It makes that glass cola bottle in your hand seem to hold twice as much as it really does."
Has anyone else noticed this? Did you know already know the cause? Does this explanation make sense? Let me know in the comments below.
The Paradoxicality
No comments:
Post a Comment