The theme for this week’s Weekly Photo Challenge is ‘Refraction’. Over at the Daily Post, Kevin asks:
‘For this photo challenge, show us what “refraction” means to you. It could be an image taken in a reflective surface, it could be light bent from behind an object, or it could mean remedial math homework: the choice is completely up to you. I’m looking forward to seeing how you interpret “refraction.”’
Not being too clear on the exact meaning of ‘refraction’ as opposed to ‘reflection’, I came across ‘wiseGeek‘, a website described as having ‘clear answers for common questions‘. My kind of website in other words.
It defines ‘refraction’ as:
‘… the bending of waves as they pass from one medium to another, due to a change in their speed. The phenomenon is most commonly associated with light, but can also apply to sound, or even water, waves.’
A rainbow captures this as a perfect example. Sunlight has different wavelengths of colour (for instance, blue has a shorter wavelength than red) which ‘bend’ when they pass through raindrops. The different colours are split, so creating a beautiful rainbow:
Rainbow over the River Bure, Norfolk Broads, June 2013
(c) Sherri Matthews
In ‘Duck on Bridge’ as I like to call it (I wonder why), another example of refraction, I think, is the image of the bridge captured in the reflective surface of the water:
Duck on Bridge. Ranworth, Norfolk Broads June 2013
(c) Sherri Matthews
Sunlight catches the reflection of this glorious rhododendron celebrating an early summer as it dances on the waters of this tiny inlet:
Neatishead – Norfolk Broads June 2013
(c) Sherri Matthews
The way sunlight refracts through the water here makes me think of melting glass:
Water. Or Melting Glass. (c) Sherri Matthews
Or maybe it could just be the way sunlight slices through the blinds in this window, warming my cats:
Cats Basking in Slices of Light
(c) Sherri Matthews
I may not have captured ‘refraction’ correctly in some of these photos, but I hope you enjoyed them anyway.
Happy Thursday everyone :-)
