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What kind of geometry is used when objects in water stick out and form an illusion?

Sorry my question might sound a little confusing…
but what i mean is, say you have a reed in a pond. The part of the reed that sticks out above water looks straight, but the part that is underwater looks diagonal. A lot of straight things make this illusion when you put them in water, even a straw in a cup of soda.
What is this illusion called? and does it use any geometry?

The phenomenon is called "refraction."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Refraction

This entry was posted on Wednesday, August 26th, 2009 at 12:15 am and is filed under geometry. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

3 Responses to “What kind of geometry is used when objects in water stick out and form an illusion?”

  1. Ms. Worth Says:
    August 26th, 2009 at 5:57 am

    The phenomenon is called "refraction."

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Refraction
    References :

  2. mslinda8393 Says:
    August 26th, 2009 at 6:33 am

    I believe it is called refraction. The light in the water refracts the object and makes it look bent. I don’t know about the use of geometry here.
    References :

  3. Haley Says:
    August 26th, 2009 at 6:59 am

    Refraction. Remember, fraction is broke or bent so the "re"fraction, is the same! ( :
    References :
    8th grade science

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