Why is light bent around a hot surface?

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For example, I look towards the roof of a black car on a sunny day. The background has enough contrast to notice that the light looks wavy from the radiated heat coming from the roof.

How does light get bent by the heat?

In: Physics

4 Answers

Anonymous 0 Comments

The surface heats up the air around it. Hot air is lighter, so it rises above, and it refracts air differently due to being less dense, causing these effects.

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