How are the moving light patterns at the bottom of the pool formed?
In: Physics
When light transmits between one medium and another, such as air to water, it bends its path. (The physical phenomenon is called refraction, and is a consequence of light changing its speed.) This can be seen by looking at a straw in a glass of water.
Water in a pool is not perfectly still. There are waves from people swimming, and these waves continually change the surface between the water and the air. This means the angle that the light hits the surface is also changing, which bends the light in different ways.
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