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Why does my straw look broken?
Bending Light


Light bends when it travels from one transparent substance to another.  The bending of light is known as refraction. 
The light changes speed when it changes substance - this causes the light to refract.

http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v455/n7211/images/455299a-f1.2.jpg
http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v455/n7211/images/455299a-f1.2.jpg

The density of a substance affects the refraction of the light.  When it travels from a less dense substance to a more dense substance, it slows down and bends inward.
When light travels from a more dense to a less dense substance, it bends away from the normal.

Giancoli, page 643, fig. 23-19
       Giancoli, Douglas. Physics: Principles with Applications. p. 643, fig.23-19

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