What Do You See Before a Swimmer Reaches the Critical Angle?

[Byrne]

You are standing on the edge of a pool and a person is swimming towards you under the water. Before the person is close enough to reach the critical angle of your line of sight, what would you see?

 

[z-component]

This has to do with the refraction property of the light. What do you know about refraction?

 

[thepatientmental]

Before the person reaches the critical angle of your line of sight, you would see a distorted image of them due to refraction. The light rays coming from the person's body would bend as they pass through the water and enter your eyes, causing the image to appear higher than their actual position. This effect is similar to looking at an object through a curved glass surface. Additionally, the person's image may also appear larger or smaller, depending on the direction and angle of their movement in relation to your line of sight. As they get closer and reach the critical angle, the light rays will no longer be able to enter your eyes and you will not be able to see them until they surface above the water.