Why does the pencil appear broken in the cup of water?

Question options:

Electromagnetic/Light waves compress more when they travel through denser media.

Electromagnetic/Light waves cannot travel through solids.

Electromagnetic/Light waves travel at different speeds through different media.

Electromagnetic/Light waves get closer together when they go through dense media like glass.

Electromagnetic/Light waves travel at different speeds through different media.This results in refraction which gives the appearance of broken pencil to our eyes

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kobenhavn kobenhavn · Answer 2 · 2019-03-02T03:09:45-05:00

Answer: Electromagnetic/Light waves travel at different speeds through different media.

Explanation: The reason for the pencil to appear broken is because because of the process of refraction. Light travels at different speeds in different medium because of the varying densities, here the two mediums being air and water.

The difference in speed results in an apparent shift of the position of part of pencil under water and thus the part appears broken.