this post was submitted on 28 Aug 2024
67 points (95.9% liked)

Ask Science

8596 readers
4 users here now

Ask a science question, get a science answer.


Community Rules


Rule 1: Be respectful and inclusive.Treat others with respect, and maintain a positive atmosphere.


Rule 2: No harassment, hate speech, bigotry, or trolling.Avoid any form of harassment, hate speech, bigotry, or offensive behavior.


Rule 3: Engage in constructive discussions.Contribute to meaningful and constructive discussions that enhance scientific understanding.


Rule 4: No AI-generated answers.Strictly prohibit the use of AI-generated answers. Providing answers generated by AI systems is not allowed and may result in a ban.


Rule 5: Follow guidelines and moderators' instructions.Adhere to community guidelines and comply with instructions given by moderators.


Rule 6: Use appropriate language and tone.Communicate using suitable language and maintain a professional and respectful tone.


Rule 7: Report violations.Report any violations of the community rules to the moderators for appropriate action.


Rule 8: Foster a continuous learning environment.Encourage a continuous learning environment where members can share knowledge and engage in scientific discussions.


Rule 9: Source required for answers.Provide credible sources for answers. Failure to include a source may result in the removal of the answer to ensure information reliability.


By adhering to these rules, we create a welcoming and informative environment where science-related questions receive accurate and credible answers. Thank you for your cooperation in making the Ask Science community a valuable resource for scientific knowledge.

We retain the discretion to modify the rules as we deem necessary.


founded 1 year ago
MODERATORS
 

Like the title says: when you see "heat rising" (the wavy/blurry area above a heat source), what are you actually seeing?

Bonus question: How does that cast a shadow? I noticed when I was opening my air fryer, I could see the shadow of the heat rising but, looking at the hot basket itself, couldn't see it.

you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
[–] aubeynarf@lemmynsfw.com 65 points 2 months ago (3 children)

You are seeing changes in the refractive index of air as a result of heat lowering the density of the air. As air comes in contact with the hot surface, it becomes heated and rises through otherwise cool air - The rising air causes eddies and vortexes that lead to light bending in weird ways as it passes through.

The shadows are much like the shadows on the bottom of a pool when there are waves on the surface. Incoming wavefront of light are distorted from planar and sent in different directions, some directions get less total light, some get more.

[–] Ahardyfellow@lemmynsfw.com 16 points 2 months ago (1 children)

Great explanation! The anology of the pool was helpful!

[–] pdxfed@lemmy.world 5 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago)

"wavefront of light", "distorted from planar" 🤯

You took me straight back to a D- in intro to optics and modern physics where my classmates were trying to solve problems based on concepts, where I was trying to solve the problem of not understanding the concepts.

load more comments (1 replies)