Experts, this is like application question in my mind...
Q. I have an aquarium at my home. When i see the aquarium from front, I don't fell the fishes are distorted but when i see from above the fishes seem to be refracted. My question is why from there is refraction but not when from front? Pls clear my doubt....
Dear student,
The reason behind this is that there is no refraction observed in a glass slab.
When light passes through glass, it encounters TWO interfaces--one entering and the other leaving. It slows down at the first interface and speeds back up at the second. If the two interface surfaces are parallel to each other, as in a 'slab' of glass, all of the bending (and dispersion) that takes place at the first interfaces is exactly reversed at the second, 'undoing' the effect of the first interface; so although the emerging ray of light is displaced slightly from the entering ray, it travels in the same direction as the incoming ray and all wavelengths that separated at the first interface are re-combined.
When you view it from the top its a air and liquid interface, so are able to see the refraction.
Regards
The reason behind this is that there is no refraction observed in a glass slab.
When light passes through glass, it encounters TWO interfaces--one entering and the other leaving. It slows down at the first interface and speeds back up at the second. If the two interface surfaces are parallel to each other, as in a 'slab' of glass, all of the bending (and dispersion) that takes place at the first interfaces is exactly reversed at the second, 'undoing' the effect of the first interface; so although the emerging ray of light is displaced slightly from the entering ray, it travels in the same direction as the incoming ray and all wavelengths that separated at the first interface are re-combined.
When you view it from the top its a air and liquid interface, so are able to see the refraction.
Regards