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Bending Light Experiment

Rising Coin

Materials you will need: • Coin • Water • China or Plastic (non transparent) bowl

Steps:

1.  Put the coin in the bowl.
2.  Walk backwards until you cannot see the coin in the bowl any more.
3.  Have someone pour water slowly into the bowl.
4.  Watch the bowl from where you are standing.

What do you see?  When the bowl is empty, the edge of the bowl stops you seeing the coin.  When the bowl is full, the light bends over the edge, so you can see the coin.  Have you ever noticed that things at the bottom of a pool or river always look closer to the surface than they really are?  This is because of the way light is bent through water and is an effect of refracted light.

Kids Science Experiments & Science Projects Categories:

Absorption	Balancing & Gravity	Bending Light	Bouncing & Reflecting Light
Curious Colors	Electricity (Charging Up)	Floating & Sinking	Heat
Magnetic Attractions	Matter	Mixing & Separating	Pressure
Reaction (Getting a)	Starting & Stopping	Surface Tension	Surprising Senses
Temperature	Science Facts	Materials & Properties	Plants & Flowers