Video Transcript
In this video, we will be observing how materials with similar refractive indices can be used to make one of the objects seem invisible!
This eyedropper is made of glass. The liquid in the bottle has a very similar refractive index to that of the glass used in making the eyedropper. This means that both the glass and the liquid distort light by bending light rays in a very similar way. This fact can result in a rather surprising phenomenon.
When we lower the eyedropper into the bottle full of liquid, we can still see it. This is because the eyedropper is currently full of air. Air has a different refractive index to that of the glass that forms the eyedropper, so it bends light slightly differently. But let’s see what happens when we fill the eyedropper with the liquid in the bottle.