How Do Objects Appear when Seen Through a Transparent Material?
Clear cups (solo) 1 per pair
 3 Fishing bobbers or billiard
full of water
balls
 Clear cups 1 per pair for oil
 3 mason jars
 Wesson Oil
 Fish tank or something
 Pennies
similar
 Straws
 Tongs
 Glass rod
 Broken beaker
Explain that the concept of refraction is what has helped scientists learn so
much about the earth interior of the earth. Earth quake waves do not move
in straight lines due to earth’s different densities.
Have a penny under a full cup of water (solo). Have the cup at the far edge
of the desk. Ask students to look around for pennies.
Have students stick their finger in the solo cup of water. Note the size of
your finger.
Disappearing coin – Put the coin under an empty cup, and add water. If you
look from the side, the penny disappears.
Appearing Coin – Put coin in dry Styrofoam cup – move cup so
coin just is out of view – add water and the coin appears in
the cup.
If you are on Survivor, where should you aim the bow to kill
a fish? (Above - Below - At the fish)
Tell students that Tom Hanks in Castaway figured this out.
Tell kids use water bottles to cheat (The movie National
Treasure)
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3 Bobbers or billiard balls in mason jars or snow globe items from craft stores
1. Have one billiard ball in a mason jar to act as a control. No water is in the jar.
2. Have billiard balls 2 and 3 in Mason jars full of water.
3. Show the class the first Mason jar and set it next to the aquarium.
4. Then show the second Mason jar and compare it to the control.
5. Ask the class to predict what will happen to the first Mason jar once it is
lowered into the water bath.
6. Have class predict what will happen to the second Mason jar once it is
lowered into the water.
 Disappearing glass rod – Lower a glass rod into a solo cup of Wesson oil