The simple experiment where a stick in a glass of water appears disjointed at the water surface illustrates the phenomenon of:

The simple experiment where a stick in a glass of water appears disjointed at the water surface illustrates the phenomenon of:

• A. Refraction
• B. Diffraction
• C. Reflection
• D. Magnification

Answer: (B)

Light refraction at the water–air boundary is what creates that illusion. When the stick is partly in water, light from the submerged part travels from water into air and slows down and bends away from the normal. Your eye sees the bent rays as if they came from a point higher up in the water, so the submerged portion appears at a shallower depth and the stick seems to break or disjoin at the surface. This apparent shift in position due to changing light speed across the boundary is refraction. Diffraction involves bending around edges or through narrow openings with interference effects, which isn’t what's happening here; reflection would show a mirror image, and magnification would change size rather than create the disjointed appearance.

Light refraction at the water–air boundary is what creates that illusion. When the stick is partly in water, light from the submerged part travels from water into air and slows down and bends away from the normal. Your eye sees the bent rays as if they came from a point higher up in the water, so the submerged portion appears at a shallower depth and the stick seems to break or disjoin at the surface. This apparent shift in position due to changing light speed across the boundary is refraction. Diffraction involves bending around edges or through narrow openings with interference effects, which isn’t what's happening here; reflection would show a mirror image, and magnification would change size rather than create the disjointed appearance.