Why does the bottom of a boat appear to be larger than the top boat in water?

Question

Joanna

Chemistry

5 February, 12:22

Why does the bottom of a boat appear to be larger than the top boat in water?

+1

Answers (1)

Know the Answer?

Brianna · Answer 1

Because air has an index of refraction of essentially 1 and water has an index of refraction of 1.33 the angle from which the rays of light reach your eyes is larger than the angle they would in air. This makes the angular size larger to your eyes which makes the object look larger relative to how they would look in air.