Refraction of light at air/water interface

AI Thread Summary
When an insect hovers above a pond, it appears to a fish directly below it at a lower height due to the refraction of light at the air/water interface. Light rays entering the water at right angles do not bend, but when viewed from the fish's perspective, the insect's position is perceived differently because of the angle of light as it travels from air to water. Depth perception in animals with two eyes involves tracing light rays back to their source, which can create a visual discrepancy in perceived height. The fish, with its eyes separated, will interpret the rays from the insect as originating from a point above the water's surface, leading to the conclusion that the insect appears lower than its actual position. This phenomenon illustrates the effects of refraction on perception in aquatic environments.
komal
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an insect hovers in a fixed position above the still water of a pond. draw a diagram to show approximately where it appears to be to a fish vertically below it.

Okay I am confused between two things ... is it going to appear at a lower height than original or will be at the same height since the fish is vertically below it so I've studied that a light ray entering a medium at right angles passes straight through it and does not bend !
 
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help !
 
komal said:
help !

The way people and most animals with two eyes deduce the distance to an object (depth perception) is by tracing the light from an object back to a source. If the object is close, you have to cross your eyes to do this. If it is very far away, almost no crossing is needed. Assume your fish has two eyes separated by some distance and figure out the light path from the insect to each eye, then trace those rays straight back to the point from which they appear to originate.
 

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