on a homework it askes what the bending of light rays is called.
2007-01-27 01:30:56 · 13 answers · asked by nfbookworm16 2 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Physics
Refraction
2007-01-27 01:34:03 · answer #1 · answered by Mike1942f 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
The Bending Of Light
2016-12-28 04:05:35 · answer #2 · answered by ? 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
There's an effect called "gravitational lensing" that can bend light rays. Massive objects like planets actually change the geometry of space-time (in the theory of general relativity) so that the shortest path becomes bent. So light traveling near a black hole in space would move along a bent path.
You can visualize this by thinking about a mattress - ordinarily it's flat and a marble would roll across it in a straight line. But if you put a bowling ball on the matress, it would warp the surface over which the marble travels. So if you roll the marble across the matress with the bowling ball on it, the marble's path would bend - just like the path of light near a black hole.
2007-01-27 04:48:39 · answer #3 · answered by jyphys 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Bending of light rays is indeed refraction. rather than just knowing the answer, i am sure it was intented to make you understand he concept. basically it caused by slowing of light ways as it passes through media of different densities.
Like everything physics it can be pretty complicated and intriguing depending on the depth you go into it. i'll refer to wikipedia to start with simple explanation
2007-01-27 01:44:03 · answer #4 · answered by Anand 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
the answer you are looking for is refraction.
although its completely wrong. refraction is NOT the bending of lightrays, but the reflection of different parts of the beam at different angles from one point. the BUNDLE of rays is transformed to a fan of rays, but not one ray is bent during the process. only gravity can make lightrays travel along a curve, and i mean HEAVY gravity, nothing we can or should try to produce here on this planet.
2007-01-27 02:16:49 · answer #5 · answered by wolschou 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Refraction.
2007-01-27 01:36:06 · answer #6 · answered by gnatlord 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Refraction. humorous how some individuals get all their suggestion off the internet and not from what they found out at school and faculty. maximum of my information became found out from my days at college in England. whether, I do, from time-to-time, lookup suggestion and notice if there has been any updates from the classes found out; this being the case with cosmology/astronomy and area. i'm satisfied i'm no longer a diabetic. mmalky (Ba, Ma, Ph.D - Bsc, Msc engineering .... Historian)
2016-11-27 21:56:37 · answer #7 · answered by ? 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
In astronomy, it is called abraision of light, it's a displacement between an observed postion and it's true position...Radio waves are another example of it in electromagnetic radiation, that travel at the speed of light.
2007-01-27 01:38:43 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
its called the bending of light rays......
2007-01-27 01:34:03 · answer #9 · answered by Razieh S 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It is called refraction.
2007-01-27 01:39:33 · answer #10 · answered by nagant39@sbcglobal.net 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋