What is the term for the bending of light?

The term for the bending of light is refraction. This phenomenon occurs when light passes from one medium to another, such as from air into water or through a lens, causing it to change speed and direction. This fundamental property of light is crucial in optics and is responsible for the formation of images in lenses, including those used in glasses and cameras.

In various applications, refraction is utilized to focus light and correct vision. It plays a key role in the functioning of spectacles, contact lenses, and many optical devices. Understanding how light bends allows healthcare professionals and optical technicians to prescribe appropriate corrective lenses for individuals with refractive errors.

The other options represent different optical phenomena: reflection involves the bouncing back of light when it hits a surface, diffraction refers to the bending of waves around obstacles and openings, and dispersion is the separation of light into its component colors due to varying refractive indices. Each of these plays a specific role in the behavior of light, but only refraction directly describes the bending of light specifically.