what is that weird “mirror” like effect on top of asphalt when it gets hot? What’s the science behind it?
In: 11
On a sunny day there will be a layer of hot air sitting on top of the asphalt, because asphalt is very good at absorbing sunlight. Being hot, this air is lower density than the less heated air above it, and whenever you get two transparent areas with different density, you get refraction, or light bending. You can easily see this by filling a bowl with water and sticking a pencil in at an angle–the pencil will appear to bend at the point it enters the water, because water is denser than air. You get the same effect on the asphalt, which causes various odd effects including mirroring, shimmers, or even being able to see things you wouldn’t normally be able to see because they’re over the horizon (that’s called a mirage).
Latest Answers