Question

Explain with the help of a labelled ray diagram, why a pencil partly immersed in water appears to be bent at the water surface. State whether the bending of pencil will increase or decrease if water is replaced by another liquid which is optically more dense than water. Give reason for your answer

Answer 1

A pencil placed in water appears to be bent because of refraction of light. The refraction causes an apparent shift in the position of the part of the pencil within the water.

If water is replaced by another liquid which is optically more dense than water, then the bending of the pencil will increase. This is because the optically denser medium will cause more refraction of light rays.