TRY THIS AT HOME: WATER BOTTLE REFRACTION

That clear water bottle you have lying around in your recycling bin can come in handy for some refraction science! Refraction occurs because light bends when it passes through substances, such as water and plastic. With this knowledge, we can conduct a fun and simple exploration which shows us what happens when the light bends as is passes through.

What you'll need:
Clear water bottle (with all paper removed), sticky note, marker, water

What you do:
On the sticky note, draw two arrows, pointing in opposite directions. Make sure you use a dark color marker and that your arrows are big and clear. Stick this onto a wall. Fill the clear water bottle with water, all the way to the top, and screw the cap back on. Gradually move the water-filled bottle in front of the sticky note. As the bottle moves in front of the sticky note, something amazing happens with the arrows! They appear to change direction!