2004 HS Photo Contest Pictures

2004 High School Photo Contest Winners
Sponsored by Vernier Software and Technology
129th AAPT National Meeting , Sacramento, CA

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Second Place - Natural Category

Title: A Refractive Turtle
Student: Anya Levinson
School: Crystal Springs Uplands School, Hillsborough, CA
Teacher: Tom Woosnam

This photo is of a single turtle about an inch and a half long. In the picture, due to refraction, there appear to be two turtles. The index of refraction of air is lower than that of water, causing the light rays coming from the turtle to bend upon breaking the boundary between water and air. Light travels in all directions from any given point on the turtle. Where we see the head (above water), light is traveling toward the lens in a straight line. However, light is also emitted in other directions; some of the light is directed below the surface of the water. It then refracts as is passes from the water into the air on its way to the camera.