Refraction (sound)

Have you ever seen a pencil look like it's bent in water? That's because of something called "refraction." Refraction is when a wave (like light or sound) changes direction and speed when it passes through something else, like water or air.

Let's say you're standing next to a pool and your friend jumps in. They make a big splash and you hear a "splash" sound. But if your friend was standing in the middle of the pool and made the same splash, the sound would actually sound different to you.

That's because the sound waves have to travel through different things to get to your ears. When sound waves travel through air, they move pretty fast. But when they travel through water, they move much slower. So when the sound waves from your friend's splash hit the surface of the water, they bend and change direction because they are slowing down.

This can make sounds sound like they are coming from a different place than they actually are. So if your friend is in the middle of the pool and makes a splash, the sound waves will bend and make it sound like the splash came from a different location than it actually did.

So next time you're at the pool, listen carefully to the sounds you hear. You might be surprised by how they change depending on where sounds are coming from!