Optics
The Water Bowl Magnifier
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A bowl filled with water can act like a lens. Light bends as it passes between air, glass and water — a process called refraction.
Because the bowl is curved, it can make objects seen through it appear larger, smaller or distorted, depending on where you look from.
Look at the pebbles through different parts of the bowl. Where do they appear largest?
Additional Information
Any curved, clear surface that’s denser than air — glass, water, even ice — bends light and can act as a lens.
Ancient people used water-filled glass spheres as a magnifier centuries before eyeglasses were invented.
A rounder, more curved bowl bends light more sharply and magnifies more than a shallow, flatter one.