this post was submitted on 02 Mar 2024
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Science Memes

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School is just one simplification after the other (sh.itjust.works)
submitted 8 months ago by illectrility@sh.itjust.works to c/science_memes@mander.xyz
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[–] MotoAsh@lemmy.world 15 points 8 months ago (2 children)

Did the same thing to a science teacher when they said, "light only travels in a straight line" thing. It DOES only travel in straight lines, but refraction is a thing, and geodesics are never perfectly straight.

[–] JPAKx4@lemmy.blahaj.zone 22 points 8 months ago (1 children)

Bonus, it only travels through a straight line through curved space, so to an outside observer the light did curve.

[–] Alexstarfire@lemmy.world 4 points 8 months ago (2 children)

Why does light get to be so special? It makes the rest of us feel bad.

[–] JPAKx4@lemmy.blahaj.zone 6 points 8 months ago (1 children)

You can also move in a straight line but still go on a curve to an outside observer, just make the outside observer something off earth and walk a significant portion of the circumference of the earth.

[–] Grandwolf319@sh.itjust.works 2 points 8 months ago

Ooo I guess planes are a good example

[–] PhlubbaDubba@lemm.ee 4 points 8 months ago

That's less light being special and more space thinking it's funny to fuck with physicists by not being euclidean

[–] mexicancartel@lemmy.dbzer0.com 1 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago)

When talking about normal refractions, it can be argued that thoose are still two peices of straight lines just like reflections.

But there was some experiment which light bends in curved path in a solution of varying concentration from top to bottom. So there was a gradient of optical density(higher at bottom) and caused smooth curving of light

Edit: Oh it was just sugar solution http://physicsed.buffalostate.edu/pubs/StudentIndepStudy/EURP09/Sugar/sugar.html

Edit 2: Found this too which is much better demo https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=rnNjV3fh-4M