How can light bend when it will only travel in a straight line???

Answer 1

It's called refraction. When a wave (light can be considered a wave for this purpose) changes velocity, it bends.

The GR/gravity related answers are only sort of correct. The usual terminology is to say that the light travels in straight lines and it's the space that bends. If you want to say gravity bends light, that's okay, too, but leads to more complications in the long run.

The best overall description of light's path is not that it travels in a straight line--it is that it travels in a path which will get it there in the least time (local minimum).

For a uniform medium, that is, of course, a straight line. But if light can travel faster in one medium that in another, then it will choose a crooked path. They taught us this in lifeguard class: to make a rescue, run directly through the dry sand, then run parallel to the beach on the wet sand to be even with your victim. Then swim straight out to the victim. This minimizes the time, even though it's not the shortest path. Light does sort of the same thing.

The least time (local minimum) principle explains why reflection works the way it does (angle of incidence equals angle of reflection) as well as refraction (Snell's Law).

Answer 2

1. Gravity will bend the straight line path by warping space.
2. In refraction, the light goes into a medium whose electromagnetic properties are different. In the transition, the light follows the shortest path based on the relative speeds of light. In this case, the shortest pat is not a straight line.
3. Reflection is not a straight line.

Answer 3

light bends went it passes from one media to the other of different refractive index.It bends because the speed for the light in different mediums is different.
light travels in straight line yes thts correct it also bends that if does not follow the same path as it was when it propagates through a different medium.it bends means it doesnt follow a parabolic path

Answer 4

Because the spacetime through it travels is curved. This usually happens in the vicinity of a large gravitational field such as a star or black hole.

Doug

Answer 5

y not try using a container with a flashlight inside. and then put water inside the container then pour the water out with the flashlight on. the light will bend.

Answer 6

It can bend when it passes through a prism.

Answer 7

gravity seems to pull light waves. that's why the sun and moon seem so big when it's on the horizon. the light waves are distorted as a result of gravity.