Why does a swimming pool appear shallower than its original depth when looked from top?

Answer 1

The density of the water refracts (bends) the light. This is also why a straw looks crooked at the point where it touches the water in a glass. Because of refraction, light is bent making a greater angle when it comes out of water going into air, so they seem to be coming from a lower distance, that is, an object in water seems posotioned at a lower distance. A picture would help to explain it better.

Answer 2

Refraction creates an optical illusion. You see the bottom of the pool because your eye detects the light reflected from it. (If the bottom of the pool absorbed all the light that struck it, you would not be able to see it; it would be invisible!) When light travels through one medium and enters another, as when it passes through water and then air, its path bends. That phenomenon is known as refraction, which creates the illusion that the bottom of the pool is not where you know it is. The effects of refraction are no more apparent than when you place a pencil is a glass of water. When viewed from the side, the pencil appears to be broken. (See this link: http://www2.jpl.NASA.gov/basics/pencil.gif) The light reflected from the pencil passes through not just two but three different media: water, glass (or clear plastic), and air. Each time the light passes from one medium to another, its path bends slightly. This link will take you to a diagram that shows the path of light bending as it passes through different media. http://resources.yesican-science.ca/trek/radiation/final/trans_par_refraction.html It is the bending that makes objects, including the bottom of a pool, appear to be where they are not. The bottom of the pool may appear shallower than it really is because of refraction.

Answer 3

before answering this question we should consider issues. First, why we see far things small and close things big? this is because our eyes cover larger area if the objest is far.

secound, imagine a black spot on a whiote blank page, imagine that this spot is getting bigger , now you have two possibilties, 1-that the spot is expanding and constant.2-that the spot is not expanding and it is moving towards you, actually we don,t see far things and close things we see big objects and small objects. third, a wave's speed ,as light, vary in different mediums so light speed is faster in air than in water.

fourth, the area covered by a certain wave decreases , assuming that the distance is equal, if the wave speed was faster.(this needs you to imagine the probagation of waves)

regarding your question , now the light speed is faster in water so it enters and covers area less than the area it would cover if it traveled the same distance in air, when the light is reflected the picture appears to be closer because the area covered is smaller.

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EDIT:

Huge problem. Light speed is always constant. In fact, it is the only truly absolute value we can observe, and everything else is relative, no matter how slight it seems. Einstein would say that if anyone reached the speed of light, time intervals would approach infinity. i.e. time would stop!!

Answer 4

• Due to refraction the light reflected from the bottom of the swimming pool floor that it reflected bends more towards the medium (at 90 degrees) since water is at a different density than air. Since you are looking from the side of the pool the light now has less distance to travel to get to your eyes and therefore appears shallower than it actually is.

Answer 5

It has to do with the refractive index of water.

It the same reason a pole looks bent where it enters the water at the water line.

Answer 6

Refractive index

Answer 7

Water magnifies