Refraction

Refraction is the bending of light as it passes from one transparent substance to another. This bending occurs because light travels at different speeds in different mediums.

Causes of Refraction

When light passes from one medium to another, such as from air to water or from air to glass, its speed changes. This change in speed causes the light to bend, resulting in refraction.

Examples of Refraction

Some common examples of refraction include the bending of a straw in a glass of water, the apparent bending of a pencil placed in a glass of water, and the formation of rainbows when light passes through water droplets in the atmosphere.

Study Guide

What is refraction?
What causes refraction?
Can you provide examples of refraction?

◂Science Worksheets and Study Guides Second Grade. What is science?

Vocabulary/Answer key

What is science?

The resources above cover the following skills:

LIFE SCIENCE

Ecosystems: Interactions, Energy, and Dynamics

Obtain information from literature and other media to illustrate that there are many different kinds of living things and that they exist in different places on land and in water (e.g., woodland, tundra, desert, rainforest, ocean, river).

EARTH AND SPACE SCIENCE

Earth’s Systems

Make observations from media to obtain information about Earth’s events that happen over a short period of time (e.g., tornados, volcanic explosions, earthquakes) or over a time period longer than one can observe (e.g., erosion of rocks, melting of glaciers).

Collect and evaluate data to identify water found on Earth and determine whether it is a solid or a liquid (e.g., glaciers as solid forms of water; oceans, lakes, rivers, streams as liquid forms of water).