2006 AAPT/Lexmark High School Photo Contest
Winner's Showcase

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Third Place - Contrived Category

Title: The Disfigured Chopstick
Student: Helen He
School: North Toronto Collegiate Institute, Toronto, ON
Teacher: Mark Kinoshita

Tap water and cooking oil were poured into a glass. The glass was placed on a table, and a chopstick was positioned directly behind the glass. In the picture, the sections of the chopstick behind the liquids are magnified because the curved shape of the glass causes the light rays to undergo refraction. Different materials have different indices of refraction, and this difference causes the angle of refraction to differ from medium to medium. This effect is shown in the picture where the sections of the chopstick appear shifted.