PHYSICS 10 SCIENCE · 2026–27 · C · Constructed responses · QUESTION 14.1 · EM p. 86

When a pencil is partially dipped in water, it appears bent or broken. Which principle of light explains this, and how does it relate to changes in speed?

پانی میں جزوی طور پر ڈوبی پنسل مڑی یا ٹوٹی نظر آتی ہے۔ روشنی کا کون سا اصول اس کی وضاحت کرتا ہے اور رفتار کی تبدیلی سے کیا تعلق ہے؟

Solution & explanation

Air to glass refraction bends light toward the normalAir: lower nGlass: higher nNormalirr < i
Schematic · not to scale

Light from the immersed part speeds up entering air and bends away from the normal. The eye traces those rays backward in straight lines, locating that part at an apparent shallower position.

Independent study answer. Original textbook ↗ · English-medium printed page 86.