What is Wave Energy: Bending and Refraction?
Refraction is the bending of light as it goes from one medium to another medium that is different from the first. A typical example is that of a long pencil placed in a glass of clear water, where you’ll see the pencil below the surface of the water somewhat bent away from that part above the water. Refraction comes about because of the interaction of light with the particles of the medium through which the light propagates. As light passes through the medium, it shakes and rattles the particles of the medium and has to give up some energy in the process. When light travels in only one medium, the interaction remains the same all throughout so we do not see a change. Light traveling in one kind of medium only will not show refraction because of the uniformity of interaction. The light will just travel along a straight path without bending. But when light travels from one medium to another of a different kind, the particles of the new medium are generally different from those of the fir
